| In 2007 World Concern
(Haiti) board member Roger Oakland had been visiting
Haiti for over three years and though pleased with World
Concern's efforts in agriculture, Roger felt kept coming
across the fact that Haitian farmers, even in the rice
producing lowlands, had little or no agriculture machinery
and very high costs of production as comapred to Haiti's
neighbors. He was shocked to find that what little machiner
was available was 2-5 times the market prices elsewhere,
outside of Haiti. Searching for appropriate agricultural
machinery Roger came across NAEF's webiste and contacted
us. In 2008 NAEF, Nepal began a direct partnership with
the World Concern's Southern Haiti Agronomy Project
known in its French acronym as ACLAM in Les Cayes where
NAEF provides project and technical support that had
as its goal to select agricultural and rural machinery,
import, sell, and train farmers and service providers
that will reduce hunger and malnutrition and provide
greater economic opportunities and diversified rural
livelihoods for Haiti’s rural farm families.
Photo One: NAEF and World Concern's first training
of 30 subject matter specialists in field operations
and marketing of two-wheel tractors services in Les
Cayes, Haiti
In September 2008 the first container of agricultural
machinery arrived and in October and November 2008 NAEF
and ACLAM trained 30 agricultural extensionists in operations
of two and four-wheel tractor and implements' operations
and the marketing of agro-machginery services in Les
Cayes, Haiti.
Photo 2: ACLAM operator Mr. Bos at the wheel of a 25HP
4-wheel tractor with 130 cm wide rotovator in the during
field demonstrations in the village of Ducis.
Within weeks after the training nearly all equipment
has been sold at reasonable rates.
A second larger container of equipment has been ordered
and is due in Haiti in June 2009 where a second round
of trainings and demonstrations will commence
For more information on this exciting new program please
see http://www.tractorsforhaiti.com
or contact Roger Oakland at roakland@oaklandcorp.com
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