(2023-01) Agroecology in Haiti: A Solution to the Poverty Crisis - Policy Brief
Summary — A policy brief distilling the ELD Initiative's Haiti agroecology case study for decision-makers, drawing on surveys of more than 330 farm households in the communes of Pignon, Saint-Raphaël, and Mombin-Crochu. It reports that adopting the agroecological model roughly doubles net income per hectare and improves climate resilience, and sets out policy measures, from blended finance to land-tenure reform, to scale the approach.
Key Findings
- Adopting the agroecological model roughly doubles net farm income per hectare in the Massif du Nord (USD 1,670 vs 806 at La Belle-Mère; USD 1,246 vs 615 at Bois Neuf and Sans Souci).
- All else equal, a typical agroecological farmer earns USD 437 more gross crop income per hectare than a conventional farmer, with intercropping the main productivity driver.
- NDVI satellite data (2019-2021) show 4.3 percent higher monthly vegetation values on model plots despite 3.5 mm less rain per month, indicating greater climate resilience.
- Among adopters, one third report a 33 percent production increase, half a 50 percent increase, and 10 percent a doubling; 98 percent intend to continue and expand.
- Converting model farmers' remaining conventional land would add about 60,800 gourdes (USD 553) of income per household per year, and scaling requires blended finance, tenure reform, and public-private-NGO partnerships.
Full Description
This Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) policy brief translates the findings of the 2023 Haiti agroecology case study into messages for policymakers. Based on qualitative focus groups and a household survey of more than 330 farmers (October 2020 to July 2021) in the communal sections of Bois Neuf, Sans Souci, and La Belle-Mère, it documents that agroecological 'model' farmers achieve nearly double the net income per hectare of conventional farmers (USD 1,670 versus USD 806 at La Belle-Mère; USD 1,246 versus USD 615 at Bois Neuf and Sans Souci), that intercropping is the main productivity driver, and that, all else equal, a typical agroecological farmer earns USD 437 more gross crop income per hectare. Satellite observation (NDVI, 2019-2021) confirms 4.3 percent higher land productivity on model plots despite lower rainfall. The brief situates these results in Haiti's food crisis, with roughly 90 percent of the rural population below the poverty line, 4.3-4.4 million people needing immediate food assistance, and heavy import dependence (80 percent of rice consumed). Recommended measures include decentralized farmer-led innovation, blended-finance solutions to mobilize commercial capital, targeted subsidies for community-managed inputs, payments for ecosystem services, improved land tenure, public procurement of agroecological produce, and scrutiny of trade policies. Full conversion of model farmers' remaining land is estimated to add roughly 60,800 gourdes (USD 553) of income per household per year.