Given the headlines in the news, you are justified in wondering how CODEP is faring. Yes, the schools have been shut for two months; inflation is rampant; the markets have been closed; the streets are blocked in many places; and more. And, we are not simply talking about Port au Prince. This is the reality of Haiti.
Therefore, it is with astonishment that we can report the fall planting logged in at 220,000 seedlings in the ground! I had a conversation with the Animators saying we would understand if the numbers were down this fall. Their answer was that the seedlings had been growing in the nurseries since spring, and they do no good sitting there. They were all planted, despite hunger, anxiety, and the dangers of being out and about.
Going forward, however, CODEP is being impacted by the turmoil, and this is how that will be manifested. Because the markets have been closed, CODEP folks have not been able to collect rotted fruit from various market stands. The workers typically harvest many of their seeds from such scavenged fruit. This shortage means the numbers of seedlings being prepared for the 2023 spring planting are clocking in at only 146,400. In short, the spring plantings will be substantially reduced because CODEP simply cannnot find seeds.
This feels absurd but it is the reality. While CODEP is squeaking through right now with the fall planting, the future will not have such robust planting seasons. Please pray hard for stabilization, calm, and peace in Haiti.
Michael Anello, Executive Director
Fruit seller before the upheavals