As part of the Support Program for Inclusive Agricultural Governance (PAGAI), the Swiss NGO HELVETAS Haiti, the Rural Research and Support Group (GRAMIR), Agronomists and Veterinarians Without Borders (AVSF) and the Konsèy Nasyonal Finansmen Popilè (KNFP - National Council for Popular Financing) organized three days of workshops and reflections (April 6, 7 and 8) on the financing of peasant farms.

More than a hundred members of farmers' organizations, representatives of financial institutions, government representatives and experts participated in this activity, which took place at the Public University of the South in Les Cayes (UPSAC).

According to Lionel Fleuristin, Executive Director of the KNFP, the objective of this workshop is to "facilitate dialogue and encourage the creation of an alliance between financial institutions and farmers' organizations in order to achieve a credit system adapted to peasant agriculture." He regrets that, while accusing each other, financial institutions and farmers' organizations are operating in separate mode when they should have been partners.

Several training sessions on the concept of agricultural credit were organised. A lot of information relating to credit union products and BRH circular 113 was shared with the audience. Circular 113 taken by the Bank of the Republic of Haiti is a tool that serves to encourage actors throughout the value chain of the agricultural sector to relaunch production throughout the territory.

Download BRH circular 113 (PDF): https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/circulaire_113.pdf

"[...] Given the weight of agriculture in the rural economy, the 'Caisses Populaires' have a duty to finance the farmers of the peasantry," believes Lionel Fleuristin. Furthermore, he made a point of emphasizing that solidarity mutuals whose clientele consists mainly of peasant farmers have a reimbursement rate of 95%.

At the end of this three-day activity, the actors adopted a document reflecting the main demands of the farmers and the strategies to be put in place in order to achieve a credit system better suited to the agricultural sector.

HL/ HaitiLibre