Let's Build Gonave, Haiti!

Agriculture is a way of reducing dependency, improving economy, and build incomes.  It has been a common theme that I have mentioned here.  Agriculture is one of the oldest professions for a reason.  Food prices in Haiti are somewhat high, especially for things like cereal, even though there is a cereal maker in Haiti.  While I don't know the cost of the Haitian cereal makers brand, buying your typical American cereals is very expensive.  Other food items are still a bit expensive.  The only way to drive down the cost is production.  We are working on ways to lower the cost of doing business on La Gonave.  While the island is a great test market due to the size and population, there are some challenges that we have to overcome.  More specifically, logistics will be a major issue.  Outside of this, La Gonave will improve it's own economy by not having to get food from markets in Port-au-Prince.  To a degree, La Gonave has to be in...

The first initial businesses will be beer and food carts.  Many of the local residents will not be able to afford store fronts, and in fact the lack of store fronts in Gonave, Haiti prevent businesses. By having beverage and food cart businesses in Gonave, you will serve the local public and tourist to the local cuisine.  This not only builds culture in Gonave, but it also opens the door for new opportunities in Gonave. Below are some examples of food carts and how they could dot the urban landscape in Gonave. These mobile units are in many places around the world, and some which have a more fixed location, have become famous in places like Portland, OR.  In Portland, many of these food carts form Pods, that have distinctive names.  The idea of having these food carts that can move, if need be, from Pod to Pod, or place to place, can make it very attractive for the new entrepreneur. Next to these food carts, could be street food vendors.  While...

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 ...

Food is also a major problem in Haiti and of course to a stronger degree on La Gonave.  Most food products have to be imported in, and then distributed out to different towns and regions in Haiti by the government.  Given the fractured state of the Haitian Government, economy, and infrastruture, many area get very little food.  One way to prevent this issue, is by creating a farm program.  Especially in the case of Gonave which suffers the most. One idea would be to create farms that have a high yield and return.  Thing such as wheat, corn, beans, tomatoes, peppers, etc could be grown.  To have year round production, medium scale greenhouses can also be built to handle a more robust operation.  Other food items such as farm raised shrimp, catfish, salmon, carp, and tilapia are also things that can really help boost the food supply in Gonave, and with very little investment.  Then food stalls and programs can be in place to distribute the fo...

June 26th of this year a large concert that was organized by mega producer Swizz Beats was done, and Chris Brown, and Lil Wayne performed.  Swizz Beats did as well, but obviously the two star attractions were Lil Wayne and Chris Brown.  Some say the Haitian government paid money to bring these folks over to give a free concert, others, such as Swizz Beats claims the artist paid for it themselves.  People were saying that the President, who is a musician, paid for this concert to possibly win a re-election.  The government stated that this will boost tourism to Haiti and will be a boost to the economy.  People were saying if the concert cost $2 million US, then imagine how many people that could have been feed, or housing, etc. Here is my take. In the large scale of things, $2 million is a drop in the bucket for what Haiti needs.  Sure $2 million is nothing to sneeze at, but if the thought of buying food aid or giving food to people is right, then I w...

While the video I am posting is about Food Plots, which are basically areas where you plant food stuffs for wild animals.  So if you want to provide food for deers, then you design a food plot that has a specific type of grass which the animal will choose over what is found in nature.  This is usually for hunting purposes.  My idea is to do something similar due to the vegetation on Gonave.  To create less of a footprint, very few trees would have to be destroyed to have a farm or food lot.  The trees will provide shade, and will help block some sun that could damage the crops.  The trees also hold the soil down, and prevents erosion.  Overall it is a good plan. These farms can grow many different types of food, especially beans and corn.  Attached is a YouTube video that shows how 4-wheerlers and grading tools can plow up the land, which will provide an area for planting. This alternative is cheap, fast, and least invasive to nature....

One of the NGO's (non-governmental organizations) on Gonave mentioned that storing food on the island is a major problem.  Many will grow food and will either consume it or sell it.  So when there is a lack of rain, there are few food sources. So one way to solve this problem slowly is to build small metal storage facilities.  A supplier Metal Building Depot can supply a nice sized structure that can store food.  Now in a previous post I mentioned these mega structures that are several hundred thousand square feet.  These structures are several million dollars, and currently wouldn't be feasible.  Building from the Metal Building Depot are usually under $100,000 US dollars, which doesn't include construction or shipping to Gonave. Below is a image of a warehouse I designed for a dry warehouse, which could store precious food stocks. This facility would have one bay door, an interior crane which has a 4 ton capacity.  In addition it also include...

Once of the main things that I am asked and challenged on is, if the people of La Gonave decide to govern themselves, how will this new government survive? First there are several things that I think should be in place before taking such action as creating a Special Administrative Region.  Not in any order, security, food, basic infrastructure, training, universal identification, chosen currency. Now there are many more things that go into it, but I will start off with these basic things briefly, and then get on to the top of financing the SAR. As mentioned in the previous post, security has to be created.  This is something that the local people on La Gonave support, and that leaders on the island organize.  Food is something that is needed over everything else.  Having the ability to supply some food, lowers the cost of food, keeps more money on the island, and helps prevent famine and food crisis.  Basic infrastructure is something that has to be done....

Our goal is to allow families on La Gonave to have jobs by creating their own.  The best way is to be their own business people.  By doing small scale farming, they will ensure their own food needs, but also some income as well. Our hope is to have farming ideas that are not extremely labor intensive, so that one could also have a job at an employer.  We want the average income on La Gonave to eventually exceed that of the mainland.  We think having honeybee farms, Talipia farms, rabbit farms, and vetiver grass fields are easy but high income jobs.  Wouldn't it be great if tourism was big on the island?  One could work full-time in the service industry and part-time farming. This fish is easy to raise, and produces a large sum of fry.  Given that there is already a very large operation on the mainland, we have already been in talks of creating farms on La Gonave.  These fish will aid in the food distribution that is needed on the island, and...

The future goal of the La Gonave Co-op is to have many different farms and homesteads on the island.  All of these farms would be under a self-sustaining cooperative.  The co-op will eventually form a cooperative store.  The store would use the food from the various farms and would provide the food and services the public needs. Imagine a store that is naturally organic due to the cooperative's safety measures and standards of not using harsh chemicals and fertilizers.  Normally these stores in America would have pricy food, however the food on La Gonave would be affordable. While it is some time away, we are working on the plans of creating a Co-Op grocery store.  Obviously the store would be located in Anse-a-Galets.  While we feel that this store will be really needed in the community, we also understand how important it is to have affordable costs. We even have a name and logo already for the store and feel that within the next 2 to 3 years the f...

The only strong path forward for La Gonave is for the Haitians to do for themselves.  Many groups and organizations will supply shipments of food that last for a very short time, but few are doing large scale projects to teach the Haitian's skills, providing large scale farming programs, jobs, etc.  La Gonave and Haiti needs jobs, not food hand outs.  Many of these programs are a form of welfare.  When the money dries up, so does the food.  The Haitians are then still back to to where they were. Money from these organizations should be in helping the locals start businesses.  Offer micro-loans, set the locals up with business ideas.  The less involvement foreigners take in Haitian people's destiny, the faster the Haitian's will take control of their lives.  Most Haitians want to work, want education, want safety, food, and shelter.  The best way to do this, is to help local farmers with farming programs.  Build schools and hire teache...

When we setup our hives on La Gonave, most of the honeybees will be in the form of brood.  Brood are the honeybee larva that are put into the cells from the queen.  Within the frame will be some drone, worker, and queen comb.  This is the best way for the island to develop it's initial honeybees. Some may question why not put full active hives on the island.  When you look at 80,000 honeybees foraging for food, it can potentially tax out the food system we are developing on the island.  That would then mean death to the honeybee hive.  So by starting with mostly brood and a few thousand honeybees say, 8,000, you have enough that can take care of the hive, and build up the hives food stores.  Logistically transporting full hives can be difficult due to getting from the mainland to La Gonave is done by boat.  So transporting a heavy hive will be very difficult.  Having a few frames of honey, brood, and bees will be easier and safer to move...

Like parts of the mainland, La Gonave has too many free roaming farm animals.  Cows, chickens, goats, pigs, etc all do major damage to food production and the environment on the island. Chickens are not really an issue, and in fact are beneficial to roam free.  They do spread manure, and clear bugs and pests away from farm crops. Cows not only destroy farm crops but also eat freshly planted trees.  Goats are horrible, but exists everywhere.  They are known for getting into areas that are fenced off, and will eat everything.  Pigs will also eat just about anything and destroy crops. If La Gonave is to improve, these free roaming animals need to be put in pens or tied up.  Imagine a tourist who comes to the island and discovers goats on the porch of the hotel.  Not only is it bad business, but it destroys the precious food that is produced for PEOPLE.  While there are laws out there the is to prevent the free roaming animals, it is up to the ...

  If you thought the honeybee project was a large task for an island like La Gonave, what would be the thought of Talipia farms.  While it sounds crazy due to the island's lack of water, it is something that could be highly successful.  Our initial plan like all would be to start very small.  We would get a few fingerlings to start.  These fish will of course grow to be the breeders. From there we will start raising the fish to sell on the open market.  It could be a project that we keep in-house, and not a product that the entire co-op would be a part of.  Reasons for this is the cost of products.  Many times it can be very expensive to get the tanks, solar panels to run pumps, pumps, tubing, and water.  So for that, we may take up the task of raising the fish and at a later point getting other co-op members involved. Talipia could be a push into the right direction for farmers on La Gonave.  From there other types of fish, ...

While we are still just a few weeks away from knowing if we will get the grant for the pollinator garden, we are very excited to tell you about the progress we are making. The garden will be modeled off of the diagram that I am attaching below. We are ironing out details as it this will be a more oval, circle, or square shaped garden.  While it will not be exactly what you see above, it will have a very similar feel.  There will be a center path that will have vine type of plants such as the coral vine that will hang above.  The creates a natural shade canopy which is needed from the hot sun of Haiti.  Off from the center path will be smaller paths that allow visitors to see other areas and sections of plants that they would not be able to see otherwise. We are looking at creating bamboo arches that will help create the canopy.  Above you see swings and playground equipment.  Currently there is no budget for this portion, however we would later cons...

For those who read this blog, they may ask what is wrong with using charcoal to cook your food? Actually in Haiti it has lead to devastating issues that compound. For one making charcoal requires the cutting down of trees. Once a lush forest is now a desert. Only 1-3% of the original forest cover still exists in Haiti. Cutting down trees, and not replacing them leads to soil erosion, weathering of the soil from the sun, wind, and rain, and even make an area arid. Haiti lacks food and water security, most of which traces back to the lack of good soil, which traces itself back to deforestation. Is deforestation the only cause of the lack of food and water security, no. It is a major problem that must be addressed and locals must adopt a different way of preparing meals and heating of water. Haiti, like many poor countries has access to kerosene. Kerosene was once widely used and lost favor over propane and electricity. Not only can kerosene power a refrigerator but also sto...

Above is the fly over view of a very large warehouse in Indianapolis, IN.  You also see the inside of this type of facility.  Gonave needs to have several of these types of facilities that are government owned.  These large facilities can store a tremendous amount of food, essential items, and help with disaster recovery. The above facility is a couple million square feet, and has over 66 truck doors, a rail spur is built next to it, along with a secured drop lot, refrigerated docks, and the entire facility is temperature controlled. When these large buildings are built, the walls are made of concrete that are put in place by cranes, and then are held there by framing work.  Then the inside poles hold up the ceiling.  These buildings, while very large, can be put up very fast. Given the large size, and the fact that goods can be stacked very high in these facilities, I think it would be essential for Gonave to have at least two of these facilities on t...

One thing that you see all over the internet is the cost of doing business in Haiti.  From the purchase of food in some areas, to the cost of attractions (mainly at Labadae), to the cost of hotels. Selling things extremely high, just because you might get someone to pay higher, isn't a good strategy.  Keep in mind that people will vote with their money.  I have experienced this with buying honeybees.  The cost of what a Haitian beekeeper was selling the bees, I could have bought two hives in the US.  Just because someone can pay more, doesn't meant THEY will.  The function of the co-op is to cut out the price gouging, as it also impacts other peer Haitians as well.  High hotel costs, even as the luxury ones, doesn't help anyone either.  Keep in mind most resorts in the Dominican Republic are better known and cheaper than many of the hotels that are considered luxury. This isn't an attack on Haiti, or Haitians.  This is saying that the me...

I think that if Gonave became it's own nation, you have to provide jobs.  There are three industries that don't cost a large sum of money and would need foreign investment. Farms Resort Cruise Ship Pier MicroBrewery Farms The island would need to produce the bulk of its food and rely very little on imports.  Imports will create a large financial stress and often hurts an area's long term growth if exports and imports are not inline.  Fish, shrimp, and crop farming should be implemented by the government but ran by the citizens.  Some of the food stock could be exported to nearby areas.  These are long term jobs that get the local economy started. Resort All inclusive resorts create a large sum of money.  The government could build a 250 - 500 room hotel, put in a few bars and clubs, have a nice pool, a few places to eat, add some entertainment (shows, small casino, etc), and make it an all inclusive resort.  Boom you have a steady suppl...

First off, sorry for the long delay in between posts.  I have been working with two different organizations, and soon to be three to get a few projects going on La Gonave. You are aware of the Honey Bee Project, but other projects will be farming activities and solar ovens.  The proposal that I am sending over will allow for honey to be available to all residents on the island of La Gonave.  Now the initial capacity of honey production will not allow for this, however as the honey bee network grows, it will be available to all residents on the island for no charge.  The language within the proposal allows for additional growth within the honey production for spin off businesses.  If honey production exceeds local demand, it will then be sold to different locations in Haiti itself. Farming is the next project which as I mentioned will focus on cover crops.  We are excited about this as it will allow for cover crops which can change the landscape of La G...