For many families in rural Haiti, the pressures of regular expenses like school fees and doctor’s visits force tough decisions. Trees can be sources of income in one of two ways: either they produce something the family can sell, or they are harvested to make charcoal. With the daily struggle to survive, it is impossible for farmers to get ahead or to invest in expanding their capacity for production.

 

That is where a partnership with social enterprise Acceso can be a game changer. Acceso helps farmers multiply their assets – in this case, trees – into micro-orchards. At the same time, Acceso integrates production of tree crops that have a guaranteed market, like moringa trees with leaves destined to become nutrient-rich powder.

 

This strategy emphasizes the link between economy and environment by giving farmers the support they need to capitalize on trees as a viable source of income.


The market-linked reforestation approach is based on an in-depth value chain assessment that looks closely at communities in Nippes and also the potential markets for their produce. Investment in agroforestry for national and international markets is paired with support for the staple foods that families are cultivating for their own consumption and the local market in Nippes. As a national social enterprise with international support, Acceso is able to find buyers on the domestic and export market that offer a more competitive price than smallholders can find locally. Acceso guarantees purchase from farmers at harvest at a fair price that passes on the competitive pricing they negotiate with buyers to the farmers.

 

In order to make mini-orchards possible for vulnerable families, Acceso sells seedlings to smallholders with a deferred payment. Purchase costs are taken out of eventual proceeds of sale at harvest and this cashless transaction provides flexibility that might otherwise prevent farmers from planting enough or at all.

 

In 2018, Acceso began to lay the foundation in Nippes for a larger business expansion there over the next few years. To date, accomplishments include:

  • 350 key lime and guava seedlings have been planted on three hectares of land in Anse-a-Veau
  • Four additional hectares are being prepared for planting in Baconnois
  • Over 12,700 moringa trees have been planted