WRITTEN BY DANIELLE WAUTHY
Training and empowering young farmers is one step to transformation for countries like Haiti.
Adrien Fetiere is only entering his last year
of high school, but has already made big steps to improving his life and his community
of Cachiman.
Like many other farmers in this region Adrien
struggled with low yields from his garden: “I
was working inexpertly...often I lost everything due to a lack of
practical knowledge in the field.“
But Adrien is now growing harvests that feed
his family and help him pay for his tuition. What changed? In spring of 2012 local leaders in Cachiman partnered
with FH to improve food security in the region. Together they set up a
demonstration garden that gave local farmers the opportunity to work and learn
from FH agronomy experts about good farming techniques and how to grow crops
that thrive in the Haitian climate.
Through the demonstration garden Adrien,
alongside other farmers, received training on soil preparation, good planting
techniques, inter-cropping, companion planting, crop rotation, watering, and
fertilization. The farmers were also given high quality vegetable seeds to use
in their gardens.
Adrien has applied what he’s learned and, as a
result, his yields have increased from harvest to harvest. The vegetables he
grows not only feed himself and his family, but he has enough to sell to others
from his community.
Adrien is also passing along his knowledge as
he is training other farmers and encouraging them to adopt better farming
practices. Adrien is very excited about the changes he sees in his community,
especially with the youth: “Because of my
success in this field, I observe that there is rising interest in agriculture
among the young now in Cachiman.”
Adrien smiles as he looks up from his garden, “With all my heart, I want to say thanks to the FH staff for all that they did and are still doing in Cachiman. You are changing people’s lives, especially my life.”
See what else is happening in FH Canada partner communities in Haiti.
Adrien smiles as he looks up from his garden, “With all my heart, I want to say thanks to the FH staff for all that they did and are still doing in Cachiman. You are changing people’s lives, especially my life.”
See what else is happening in FH Canada partner communities in Haiti.
