Haiti: OPODHA Prepares for Its General Assembly with Agricultural Officials
In Haiti’s North and Northeast Departments, OPODHA leaders are preparing for a general assembly at the end of August that will bring more than 500 members together with Departmental Directors of Agriculture and other officials to secure commitments to support smallholder farmers.
OPODHA members in 74 communities are electing new officers ahead of the assembly. In late July, 47 leaders gathered in Mont Organisé to select their new leaders—an exercise in democratic practice as the organization readies itself to press the government to address the needs of rural communities.
In July, OPODHA leaders also met with the Directors of Agriculture in the North and Northeast Departments to secure their support for key farmer priorities, including building Community Seed Banks in each Department.
With support from the Bank Information Center and Faith in Action International, 85 Haitian civic organizations wrote a letter to the board members of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) asking them to make changes to IDB’s $44 million agricultural project. The Haitian organizations are asking IDB to include more funding for a diverse set of irrigation projects, funding for seed banks, access to credit, and providing inputs and technical assistance to farmers through existing farmer associations. They also briefed U.S. Treasury officials who sit on the IDB’s board.
The steady rhythm of electing leaders, researching problems, and engaging officials is how OPODHA is building the capacity of Haiti’s rural communities to make their voices heard.
Read the Smallholder Farmer Platform: We Plant Today So We Can Feed Ourselves Tomorrow published in April 2026 by 85 Haitian civic organizations. In Haitian Creole: Platfòm Peyizan Ti Agrikiltè – Nò ak Nòdès Ayiti
How You Can Help
Advocacy by Haitian-Americans and friends of Haiti has made a difference in persuading the U.S. government to send vaccines to Haiti, and is making a difference now in our efforts to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians. Your voice can help us push IDB and other international development agencies to listen to and work through Haitian organizations.
