This text is part of the special section on International Cooperation
Started in 2020 by the international cooperation organization SUCO, the PROFI — Women and Youth project has set itself the objective of improving the autonomy of the Haitian population, including the agricultural community.
The PROFI — Women and Youth project aims to improve the various supply chains for mango, cashew nuts and vegetable crops by making them more efficient and more resilient to climate change. “We are above all in a process of support and reinforcement”, explains Julie Potvin-Lajoie, project manager at SUCO. Training on sustainable agricultural techniques, production of workbooks and installation of nurseries… These are some examples of the work carried out by SUCO through the PROFI project in the field, more specifically in the south of the country.
PROFI — Women and Youth has three components: production, processing and entrepreneurship. For a period of five years, the 600 participants benefiting from the project are encouraged to develop basic knowledge in order to become more autonomous in the long term. “We want to encourage people to invest in agricultural production and to develop autonomy. Employment is difficult in Haiti, so we want to see how we can inculcate this value of autonomy in the population,” explains Smithson Meus, project director in Haiti.
Find and train the next generation
It is mainly people aged between 18 and 40 and women who have been targeted to be part of the project. “In terms of leadership, women getting involved in agricultural activities is recent. We want women to take more initiatives, since they were used to supporting men before,” said Mr. Meus.
Recruiting people from this age group was a challenge because of their perception of the agricultural community, says the project director. The SUCO teams in the field therefore had to be creative in mobilizing the people targeted by the project. “In Haiti, agriculture is a practice that is considered ‘old’. We insisted a lot to have these people of this age category [18 à 40 ans] to ensure a succession in the middle”, describes Smithson Meus. “Combating this perception is a long-term battle. The first strategy is to bring in model actions, such as model farmers who are young. The Association of Producers and Sellers of Southern Fruits has helped us a lot thanks to the young members of its network,” he adds.
The SUCO organization is indeed not the only one to act to rally the population within the framework of the PROFI — Women and Youth project. It is thanks to their partnership with various bodies, such as the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Association of Fruit Processors, that SUCO has succeeded in recruiting the beneficiaries of the project.
Building the life of tomorrow
An earthquake in August 2021, and now, a political crisis that is shaking the country: the pitfalls have been multiple for the local SUCO teams since the start of the project. “The road that connects Port-au-Prince to the south is extremely dangerous. There are several armed gangs that will often occupy the road. Our team is isolated in the south, so we have to get more supplies from the region and reduce our trips to the capital. […] There is a significant impact on project costs,” says Julie Potvin-Lajoie.
Nevertheless, adaptation is the key to ensuring the continuity of the organization’s mission. “Haitians have developed this kind of resilience in the face of difficult situations. […] People are struggling to find solutions, ”says Mr. Meus.
What do M wantme Potvin-Lajoie and Mr. Meus at the end of the project? May the Haitian population be better equipped to build their own tomorrow. “My dearest wish is the sustainability of the activities and that the achievements are transmitted to the population, beyond the 600 people benefiting from the project. When things are well thought out, we give ourselves more favorable conditions for there to be sustainability in the actions,” believes Julie Potvin-Lajoie. “As a Haitian, my long-term goal is to improve the economic well-being of the population. We try to bring these reflections so that she thinks for herself. When the project ends in two years, we should be more independent of external aid,” hopes Smithson Meus.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.