Haiti
Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, relies heavily on foreign aid and remittances from expatriates. Two of every three residents work in agriculture, and most of those are small-scale subsistence farmers. Haiti’s development efforts were dealt a blow by the massive January 2010 earthquake that had a devastating effect on the capital, Port-au-Prince, and surrounding areas and killed more than 200,000 people. In the aftermath of the quake, TechnoServe has joined The Coca-Cola Company and other partners to help Haitian farmers create a sustainable mango industry. An estimated 100,000 small-scale Haitian farmers grow mangoes, but few realize the full economic value of their farms, making the mango industry a potential building block in Haiti’s long-term recovery efforts. TechnoServe is also part of a consortium working to improve access to finance for Haiti’s small and medium businesses.
Technoserve/Haiti
TechnoServe/Haiti Contact: Katarina Kahlmann
Established: 2009
Sectors: Agriculture & Agribusiness
Building Business and Industries
Agriculture & Agribusiness › Mango
Mangoes are among Haiti’s top three exports, but farmers are hindered by technical challenges, poor infrastructure and difficulty accessing markets. TechnoServe is working with The Coca-Cola Company on the Haiti Hope Project to help build a sustainable mango industry that will aim to create a viable market for tens of thousands of farmers. TechnoServe will help Haitian mango farmers grow their crops more efficiently, produce additional crops to boost their incomes and create businesses that will allow them to access markets sustainably. TechnoServe will also help identify and provide guidance to entrepreneurs interested in investing in fruit juice processing businesses. We hope that the farmers involved in this project will serve as catalysts for a revitalized mango industry that will contribute to broad-based economic growth in Haiti.
Key supporters: The Coca-Cola Company
Improving the Business Industry
Capital Access
TechnoServe is part of a consortium working to implement a multi-year U.S. Agency for International Development-funded project to improve access to finance for local small and medium businesses. The project, called Haiti Integrated Financing for Value Chain & Entrepreneurship (HIFIVE), is meant to complement other USAID-funded programs in Haiti, with a focus on rural areas and high-potential value chains (such as coffee, cocoa, mango, tourism and handicrafts). TechnoServe will identify local businesses, analyze their financial or business needs, facilitate negotiations with financial institutions and business service providers and monitor the results.
Key supporters: USAID
"One lesson I have learned from institutions like TechnoServe is that with concentrated effort...coupled with knowledge, finance and committed people on the ground, you will successfully advance rural economic development."
BASIL MRAMBA
Former Minister of Finance, Tanzania