We started with 600 plantain trees with a limited budget. We hired locals from the community to work, plow, and plant the trees. We believe in implementing a combination of traditional and modern methods of agronomy. Lakay Francine values the role of the folkloric tradition of agriculture among the farmers, their ingenuity and ability to cultivate and grow produce have been quite impressive without setting in a formal agricultural school or any vocational institution. We also believe in the talents of young agronomists and want to harness their skills to foster creative innovations in local organic planting.
As we move forward with Lakay Francine, our projects include to better equip our workers and farmers to ensure that our operation is profitable for our community. We want to include and educate our youth to know the economic and social advantages of local farming, as well as its place in our society.
Our immediate goals are threefold:
We want to secure our production. Our land is approximately ten open acres on each side. As with any farm of a substantial surface, we need to put up fences to keep away intruders and outside animals from our crops.
Solar panels are needed for sustainable energy, particularly to power high beam lights installed at each boundary point of the farm.
In the next two years, we are working on a project to rent unused state-owned land to maximize our production. Renting land from the government will create new jobs and encourage agricultural vitalization for local residents.
We also want to create informational community seminars to continue the rich tradition of strong Haitian farmers, while learning new innovative strategies in sustainable agriculture.
Haiti’s close location to the United States is convenient to promote the value of fair trade. Plantains sold in the North-American market are from South America. However, we desire to tap into the demand of conscientious consumers who want to purchase fair trade products.
The profits made from Lakay Francine are shared among the community, as opposed to a wealthy middleman or landowner. Haiti is in need of sustainable economies that truly benefit poor Haitian workers.
Currently, our major challenge is to raise funding to purchase the materials and infrastructure for our farm. The high cost of equipment and other resources are not enough on a single teacher’s salary.
We aspire to make Lakay Francine a successful center for cultivating agro-community and local sustainable solutions.
