Instead of having seeds which sprout reliably, farmers contend with batches which may grow only 40 or 50 per cent of the time. This not only diminishes their yield and profit but also decreases their ability to sustain their livelihoods.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is working with the Ministry of Agriculture in Haiti to change this by localising the seed economy and training members of organised seed banks known as Groupements de Production Artisanale de Semences (GPAS).

“We realised that most of the seeds were of doubtful quality, that is to say they were not adapted to certain climate conditions … and as long as they are not well-adapted and are not good quality, we will have weak production,” Pierre Frantz Jacques, a former farmer and one of FAO’s seed bank project managers told UN News.

There are now over 200 GPAS located throughout Haiti, which cultivate high-quality seeds to distribute to other farmers with the goal of increasing farmers’ yields and reducing dependency on foreign seed and food imports. Especially today, these groups play an important role with more than half of the country facing emergency food insecurity and with agricultural production threatened by armed violence due to increased gang activity. “GPAS, in providing seeds of quality, contributes to the improvement of agricultural productivity and food security in communities,” Jacques said. (Jamaica Gleaner)