Feed the Future Investment in Haiti
Implications for sustainable food security and poverty reduction
The US Feed the Future initiative is providing real benefits to many smallholder farmers in Haiti who otherwise receive very little outside support. These benefits include trainings, introduction to new technologies, livelihood opportunities, business skills, access to better inputs, and increased access to markets. However, there are a number of opportunities to improve the design and implementation of the project so that the gains it has achieved can be sustained. Much more could be done to include beneficiary farmers’ perspective in the project design, along with mechanisms for feedback throughout the project lifespan. Women in particular need to be included in greater numbers so that the project provides equal benefit to both men and women in the target communities. One of the largest obstacles to sustainability is the government’s ability to oversee and maintain the work that has been done after the project ends in western Haiti in 2014. The paper offers lessons that can be used to inform Feed the Future’s rollout in northern Haiti.