REDUCE HUNGER

In the villages of rural Haiti, families do no have enough to eat. They subsist on what they grow, but it’s not enough and it comes in fits and starts, prey to drought and blight. Between growing seasons, there’s not much and what there is doesn’t keep for long, so families go without. Malnutrition is a large part of why one of every fourteen children die before age five and the chance of anyone living to age sixty is slim. The food shortage problem is widespread but the solution is not imported white rice, which can fill stomachs but contributes to the diabetes and hypertension that are endemic to this population and are leading causes of death. We have two programs that reduce chronic hunger by increasing the food supply in a durable way.

The Vegetable Bounty Program…

helps family farms grow a diversity of food crops to promote a dependable supply of nutritious food, which includes tree nuts and fruits, root crops and vegetables. The Bounty Program also operates an intensive vegetable production facility, which supplies vegetables to local markets all year round.

The Cassava Bread Program…

builds community facilities that process the roots of the manioc plant into cassava bread, which is a flat bread that can be kept without spoilage for over a month. It is a staple of the diet and is readily grown year round by farmers… but… it is very difficult to make edible. It requires specialized equipment that is out of reach for poor communities. Known as a cassaverie, it typically produces bread for 500-1000 people. After a village has one, more manioc is planted, the food supply grows and chronic hunger is reduced.