As part of the "Feed the Future" initiative, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announces the official launch of the Resilience and Advancement of the Agricultural Sector of Haiti (RASAH) project. Which targets more than 25,000 rural Haitian farmers, in particular marginalized groups such as women and youth; to promote private investment in the agricultural sector; expand household livelihood opportunities and assets; and strengthen community institutions to better manage essential resources.

This project will be implemented by Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) LLC, in association with Haitian institutions, including Agridev S.A., Papyrus S.A. and Quisqueya University.

US Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. Kenneth Merten noted, "This new agricultural project shows once again that the US government believes in advancing this sector for an economically viable Haiti. I look forward to seeing USAID’s RASAH project come to fruition."

Christopher Cushing, USAID's Mission Director, said : "[...] This project recognizes that it is not enough to just support farmers. All actors across the agricultural system must work together to ensure that farmers are able to produce and sell in a market that is fair, transparent and efficient."

Over the next five years, RASAH aims to engage all active stakeholders (from farmers to consumers) to strengthen Haiti’s agricultural markets. With an emphasis on resilience, this project will apply a new approach to improve production, productivity, market transactions and investment opportunities for individuals, households and communities. The project will work in 32 municipalities across the country (10 municipalities in the North, 9 municipalities in the North-East, 3 municipalities in the Central Plateau, and 10 municipalities in the South)

The RASAH project relies on the collaboration and active participation of local actors to identify the root causes of problems and co-create solutions. Rather than providing direct support to farmers, the project will work with and through local actors such as Haitian private companies, producer groups, academic and financial institutions, and community organizations.

This approach will actively address the constraints and obstacles that hamper :

1) the efficiency of agricultural market systems;

2) private sector engagement and investment in agriculture;

3) inclusion of poor and marginalized groups in formal and informal markets.

For more information write to : hrasa@dai.com

HL/ HaitiLibre