Let's Build Gonave, Haiti!

I wanted to discuss the agribusiness plan a little bit.  I have gotten many emails asking what does it look like, how will it happen, etc. As I have mentioned in many different blogs, a cooperative will be setup to handle and govern all of the farming programs.  It helps lower cost and give a strong competitive advantage when you have a cooperative.  So that is a brief overview of how it will happen. It will take a few good farmers to make the co-op work and it will take a new way of doing things to make it work.  While I have discussed beekeeping and tilapia farming, there will also be a focus on actual vegetable and fruit crops.  I mentioned things like the Pinto Bean for example, but I haven't discussed how the fields will be prepared. Major issues such as poor soil, lack of water, free roaming animals, and lack of farm equipment make normal open field farming very labor intensive.  The lack of basic controls really hurt and affect the crop produc...

When you look at Haiti in general many would state that it is a 4th world country.  The lack of infrastructure, job security, literacy, health, income, and unstable food production are some of the reasons for the ranking.  La Gonave is in a more dire situation than the mainland. How to move La Gonave off the 4th world list?  I have said it time and time again.  Farming!  One of the oldest professions in the world is Farming.  In fact farming gave rise to cities.  Farmers would work together, sell goods, people moved to those fertile lands to purchase the food that was produced.  Soon you had cities and other professions were created.  If Haiti, and in fact La Gonave wants to improve its standing, then farming is it. Having food security is the first thing, above housing, education, etc.  Without good food, nothing else really will matter.  Next good education is needed.  Yes even before housing is education.  Let's ...

Large Scale Aquaphonics could work for Gonave due to having fish farms along with vegetable grow beds.  Below is a YouTube Video that talks about how someone did a small scale DIY system. This is something that can easily be built on several acres, even if you have to build several medium sized greenhouses.  The fish farm could have Tilapia, and possibly shrimp.   Given the small amount of space needed to grow a large amount of food, this could be a very attractive option for Gonave.