Technicians of the Kafe Makaya project in Haiti learned the methodology of agro-forestry management plans on farms.

• This methodology will help them to promote greater production to strengthen the diversified coffee systems that exist in the home gardens in association with coffee from the south of the country.

June 23, 2022. Specialists from CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) trained for two weeks technicians from the Kafe Makaya project: Haití: Strengthening agri-food value chains and adaptation to climate changeimplemented by  Global Affairs Canada y OXFAM-Quebec,  en coordinación con la Direccion Departamental del Ministerio de Agricultura de  Haití. Mediante las capacitaciones aprendieron la metodología de planes de manejo agroforestal en fincas, con el fin de que puedan promover una mayor producción y robustecer los sistemas de café diversificados que existen en los huertos caseros en asocio con café (conocidos como jardines criollos) en el sur del país; para así mejorar la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional de las familias rurales y la capacidad de mitigación y adaptación de sus sistemas productivos ante el cambio climático.

In total, more than 15 technicians from Fundation Nouvelle Grand-Anse (FNGA), REBO (Haitian brand of high quality coffee) and OXFAM-Quebec, all involved in the Kafe Makaya project, participated in the theoretical and practical training.

These technicians learned about topics such as: farm plans and baseline survey of Creole gardens; implementation of farm plans and organization of agro-ecological agro-forestry systems with a focus on the cycling of nutrients available on the farm; use and handling of key tools for the sustainable management of agro-forestry systems (chainsaws, basic pruning tools and drone); potential coffee varieties for the country and the risks associated with seed selection; integration of agro-ecological techniques and associated crops for maximizing yields in coffee systems (coffee, fertilizers, natural pesticides, water); diagnostics on training topics in green technologies and applied research topics; basic or applied research proposals that can be related to the learning curriculum of the Field Schools (FFS).

"The transmission of the farm plan methodology through theoretical and practical training was perhaps the most important result of this mission, since it describes in a simple way the use and treatment that will be given to the resources of the farm. In addition, the establishment of model farms representative of the coffee production recommendation domains in the territories selected by the Kafe Makaya project, from which the entire scaling scheme contemplated by the project will be derived to reach 2,600 producers", explained Guillermo Detlefsen, CATIE researcher.  

Also, according to Detlefsen, farm plans will serve to identify relevant topics for capacity building and basic or applied research and will be related to the learning curriculum to be implemented through FFS. The FFS will enable people to optimize and increase their knowledge and skills to improve conditions at home, on their farms or plots and, therefore, their well-being and that of their communities with production systems adapted to climate change, which will seek to diversify production and optimize yields, ensuring greater stability for families in terms of economic income and food availability.

This training mission took place in March and was conducted by four CATIE specialists: Carlos Cordero, Bruna Amante, Reinhold Muschler and Detlefsen.

Another important achievement was the drafting and signing of two framework collaboration agreements between CATIE and key organizations in southern Haiti: FNGA and AYITIKA (cocoa company), which will make it possible to establish specific technical cooperation agreements, exchange experiences and even mobilize resources through the preparation of projects to further strengthen the productive capacity of established agro-forestry systems.