Let's Build Gonave, Haiti!

Currently Hurko is designing a product that would be manufactured in Haiti, and more specifically La Gonave. It has been a while since I have been blogging, but behind the scenes I have been busy working.  Currently a product, which I can't mention, is being researched to be developed on La Gonave.  This is wonderful as it increases the island's presence, and it also stimulates the economy.  Together with the honeybee industry, the island economy is starting to grow. Not all the people on the island will feel the immediate impacts of development.  It takes time for any community to see results from job growth, but it is starting to grow. Stay tuned as we develop more information. Go Gonave!

The Acknowledgement of Land Use as well as a Partnership Agreement has been created.  This may not make sense to you, but it is a formal agreement to setup the honeybee hive operation on La Gonave, and establish the creation of a partnership which is the first step of creating a cooperative on the island. The Land Use is key as it will allow the hives permission to be on land on the island for a period of time.  Initially it would be for a short period of time that allows early termination, but it also allows for extended time. The Partnership Agreement is again the start of the cooperative.  It gives some teeth to everything and starts the collective power of two different entities to make moves on the island of La Gonave.  The cooperative is better than just a not-for-profit (many cooperatives are also not-for-profits) because the cooperative can collect money and do different types of investments.  It can also hold onto cash year over year, something tha...

The company that listed it will build a similar housing and retail structure on La Gonave, is still in the mix.  The above photo is an idea that Hurko gave me last year as to what they are considering building on La Gonave, but didn't give a timeline. Recently the company stated they will build the hives at La Gonave, or finance the building of the initial hives.  They are planning on the eventual training of building the hives to locals.  I have also talked to the company about my plants for the honeybee project and they feel that it makes great sense to have a small scale economy of beekeepers.  Beekeeping on an island is a good thing as it will keep the bees there on the island, so those that do leave the hive will not travel to the mainland.  It keeps potential disease that may hit the mainland from impacting the bees on La Gonave.  The company is still very interested in working with La Gonave and building up the economy. Potential plans for ...

http://www.haititradecenter.com/ Companies like the Haiti Trade Center connects people to many different aspects of Haiti.  Above is a modeling competition that was posted on the site.  In addition to this, jobs, business information, etc is also available.

Hop Farms I have mentioned a few occasions about having farms on Gonave, which will help with the island’s overall economy.   This can lead to selling goods to other communities and countries, which again is why farming can be something that is easy to implement   with good results. Given that I have a brewery often I need different type of grains and hops to make the beer that my customer’s like.   Having my own farm which would grow these grains and hops will lower costs, and also create additional jobs, and possibly lead to exporting of these hops and grains. Hops come back every year and given that I will create beers that are specific to Gonave, I will research what would be the best grains, and hops that can grow on the island. In addition to hops and specialty grains, I also mentioned before that honey farms could also be created.   These types of farms produce a high yield but have a much smaller footprint than other types of farming. ...

A multi-modal transpark could work very well on Gonave.  What is a transpark?  A transpark is an industrial park that connects different modes of transportation to ship goods.  Many times these transparks will have office buildings as well. How can Gonave benefit from this?  Well and ideal transpark would be about 500 acres that would connect the entire island with rail and via roadway.  Therefore non-transpark jobs can be disbursed throughout the island.  This benefits the whole island, not just one area.  The transpark would also transport goods via air, so an airport could be built on the border of the transpark.  In addition to the airport would be a seaport.  Again, goods can be brought in and shipped out.  A transpark allows companies to have tremendous flexibility when it comes to logistics.  When you look at an island that lacks key infrastructure, a transpark makes a lot of sense.  Initially the 500 acre...