UPA DI - Program 2008-2011

Results at the end of the project (June 2013): In Senegal eight groups of farmers from two farmer organizations participated in the program four until December 2010 and four until January 2011. In Haiti eight groups of farmers also participated in the program four more than expected and six communities rather than four were involved in the watershed natural resources management project thanks to additional support following the program’s extension (from July 1 2012 to June 30 2013). A few of the most important results: 1) Strengthening the capacity of 552 women and men farmers (299 in Senegal and 253 in Haiti) to take ownership of the development of their agricultural operations and implement 225 more farming projects than originally planned by the program. 2) There were 36 450 person-days of training provided reaching 50 000 beneficiaries. 3) There were 1 568 days organised for exchanges and sharing expertise between 71 Quebec farmers and their Haitian and Senegalese counterparts. These exchanges allowed participants and their organisations to improve their farming business management skills and knowledge in organizational development. 4) The capacity of two farming organizations in Senegal and eight farmer groups (four in Haiti and four in Senegal) to support their members was increased allowing for example the development of collective services for the production and sale of seeds certified by the Fédération des périmètres autogérés in Senegal. These services among others have supported the national program for certified rice seeds which would likely have disappeared without this support. 5) The development of 222 hectares of farming land in Haiti from which 10 hectares are mechanical terraces benefitted 255 women and men farmers in five micro watersheds where environmental conditions were high risk factors for farming operations. In Haiti for example these land developments in the Lozier micro watershed increased the production of