Enhancing food security through sustainable agriculture, local economy development and healthy diets (EFOSE), Haiti: project design report

The document is the IFAD design report (report number 6809-HT, project identifier 2000004047) for the project Enhancing food security through sustainable agriculture, local economy development and healthy diets (EFOSE), based on a design mission held from November 27 to December 8, 2023. The goal is to reduce poverty and food and nutrition insecurity in the Southeast of Haiti, and the development objective is to increase and diversify household incomes and local production of nutritious food in ways that are resilient to climatic and economic shocks. The project targets sixteen communal sections in the communes of Jacmel, Cayes-Jacmel, Marigot and Belle-Anse, and plans to reach about 21,664 households or 97,488 people, with at least 42% women and at least 15% young people among beneficiaries. It has two main components: Component 1 on the resilience of territories, governance and infrastructure (rainwater collection, 874.7 hectares of irrigation rehabilitated, 1,000 hectares of micro-watersheds restored), and Component 2 on economic inclusion and food security through diversified local food systems. Project management and a Response to Emergency and Disasters (RED) mechanism complete the structure. The report gives a total cost of US$31.87 million over seven years, with a base cost of US$29.14 million. IFAD12 allocations provide US$23.67 million, the government US$1 million and beneficiaries US$2.63 million, which leaves a financing gap of US$4.61 million. Implementation is expected to start in the second half of 2024 and end in 2031, led by the Ministry of Economy and Finance through its Unité Technique d'Exécution de Projet. The report gives an economic internal rate of return of 19% in its baseline scenario.

The cocoa and coffee value chain is a specific part of Component 2. Under subcomponent 2.1, agroforestry packages for coffee and for cocoa are offered in humid mountains and plateaus at altitudes of 300 m to 800 m, and the report expects yields of perennial crops such as coffee and cocoa to rise by more than 250% per hectare. The economic model uses 350 hectares each for coffee and cocoa agroforestry, and gives a net present value per household of US$3,951 for coffee agroforestry. It names the coffee varieties Catura and Catimor and a Criolito cocoa variety at Ravine Normand as local innovations to promote. Under subcomponent 2.2, associations and companies in the sector are to receive co-financed business plans for the rehabilitation of collection, processing and transformation centers, including 11 plans of US$35,000 each for coffee collection and packaging centers (70% paid by EFOSE, 30% by the entrepreneur) and 10 for cocoa processing, plus a quality and traceability information system for coffee and cocoa. The report describes the private firms AYITIKA and Café Luxe as the main players: they own processing centers, advise farmers, supply inputs and run revolving funds for producer organizations, and the report states that they work with more than 10 associations of coffee and cocoa producers. It says some of the coffee and cocoa processing support is moved to phase 2, that the design assumes cocoa and coffee chains that can still export, and that investments may be scaled down if exports are no longer possible or if private actors do not confirm co-investment and purchase.