In 2013, the Smallholder Alliance for Sorghum in Haiti
(SMASH, implemented by Papyrus) was launched by BRANA, a Heineken
company, to strengthen the sorghum value chain and spur socially inclusive
growth in Haiti. In 2016, SMASH partnered with RTI International and
Dimagi to develop SMASH Mobil, an integrated mobile technology and
reporting system, to support actors across the value chain.
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Local sourcing is at the heart of HEINEKEN’s “Brewing a Better Future” sustainability strategy. In Haiti, HEINEKEN has committed to purchase locally sourced sorghum, improving the lives of over 18,000 farmers under the SMASH project.
In Haiti, small and medium local businesses are vital to the
economy. They account for over 80 percent of total
employment, but often their growth is constrained because they
lack knowledge and investment to improve performance and
profits.
Haitian institutions are often seen as inactive or absent in
key areas of Haiti’s growth. This is a misconception that
ignores the many challenges this group faces. One of the
most significant difficulties is that they are not structured to
compete for and manage international funding, due to lack
of access to organizational capacity development, thus
limiting their ability to be actors of change.
In Haiti, local and foreign institutions working in the country suffer
from a lack of access to information. Not only are data produced
by the Haitian Government or other entities not published or
accessible to a wider audience, but service providers are not listed,
and funding opportunities are not shared. As a result, outsiders
see Haiti as a difficult country in which to invest, and local service
providers often don’t have access to funding opportunities.
Amid the struggles of Haiti’s economy, pockets of opportunity exist that, if used effectively, could improve the standard of living for thousands of people. Agribusiness is one sector that offers high potential for development. In recent years, RTI has been working with local partners to strengthen the market for several of Haiti’s main crops, while expanding earning potential and job opportunities in agriculture.
Ayiti Nexus is a boutique development consulting firm established in 2012 that
offers project management services in various sectors in Haiti. Since its creation,
Ayiti Nexus’ managing consultants have understood the importance of
establishing strong foundations, particularly their financial and operational
systems to guarantee the firm’s sustainability
Alice Nkunzimana, president of Papyrus, a development firm in Haiti, couldn’t believe her eyes. The entire team standing in front…
Friday, in the Étoile du Nord in Carrefour Vincent (Drouillard), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Inter American Development Bank (IDB), and the National Brasserie d'Haiti SA (BRANA), have joined the sorghum farmers to celebrate the integration of the IDB to the program Smallholders Alliance for Sorghum in Haiti (SMASH), the alliance of small sorghum farmers in Haiti, launched in 2013 by the BRANA.
Bloomberg’s Stephanie Ruhle visits Haiti to find out if it is the next emerging market. Five years after the country…