An abundant harvest for the women of KANPE!

Women play an essential role in improving the living conditions of their communities, and the Roncalli International Foundation is proud to support them in their efforts. This year, on International Women’s Day, we want to highlight the importance of women in agriculture.

Women contribute significantly to the agricultural production that feeds their communities, but they face barriers that limit their potential. In fact, giving women the same access to resources and education as men could increase their capacity by up to 30%, which could eliminate hunger for 150 million people. 

In Haiti, where food insecurity has reached 46% of the population and an estimated 80% of the population suffers from diseases caused by malnutrition and unsafe water, it is critical to invest in women farmers. And this is exactly what the Roncalli Foundation is doing with its partner KANPE!  

KANPE is a foundation that accompanies the most vulnerable communities in Haiti towards autonomy so that they can ” kanpe,” in other words: stand up !

The Roncalli Foundation supported one of their projects in the village of Baille Tourible, in the commune of Thomonde. This project, set up in the context of the current pandemic, aims to increase agricultural production and prevent the loss of income.

Women are the main participants in the project. As owners of small parcels of land, they have received seeds and technical assistance from the Haitian organization Mouvement paysan Papaye (MPP), which is recognized for its great agricultural expertise.

KANPE hopes to improve the living conditions of the population, especially women, thanks to the profits generated by the crops.

We just need to look at some of the impressive results of this project to see how this is happening:

• Over 23,685 kg of bean seeds were distributed to 200 farmers and 575 of the most vulnerable families.
• Two annual bean crops were produced, of which 27,908 kg were reimbursed to the Baille Tourible seed bank.
• The seed distribution program was extended to include maize (2,373 kg), small millet (1,225 kg) and Congo peas (1,148 kg).

As the Creole proverb says: “A shower does not make the harvest,” but the hard work and solidarity of all the women behind this project are the ones who ensured a fruitful harvest!