On July 10th, 95 farmers crossed the stage to graduate from our farmer school program. We are so proud of all of them for their hard work throughout the 5 months of training. These farmers who graduated from the Meds & Food for Kids program now join the farmers’ network managed by the Agricultural team, becoming certified suppliers of peanuts to MFK for the production of therapeutic food products. The program is a win-win as it allows MFK to source more local peanuts, strengthening the local economy, while the farmers are now able to produce more peanuts, make more income, and have access to treat their own kids with MFK’s products.
The ceremony was held in the afternoon in the auditorium of the national school Dosmond (commune of Ouanaminthe.) Farmers came from their communities Savane Longue, Prevoyance, and Welch. Organized by MFK, the event is a continuity of the program by reinforcing the capacity of the planters in the Ouanaminthe areas. It was a beautiful moment together to recognize the hard work of these farmers. Farmers from each community wear a unique color at the time of the ceremony. The group from Savanne Longue wore red, the group from Prevoyance in white, and the group from Welch in yellow.
The opening ceremony was presented by Israel Guiler, Intern at MFK. The Agricultural Program Manager and Agronomist, James Michelet Blanc, along with Ag Tech, Moncito Gachette, led the ceremony with the words of welcome, and a presentation on the importance of MFK’s work among the most vulnerable in the country.
In order to allow the audience to have an idea of the theoretical and practical training received, each community had a representative farmer to present a summary of the training, what they learned, what they liked and didn’t like, and their expectations for the future. The representatives from each zone made brief summaries of the nineteen sections covered in training, from soil preparation, soil conservation, post-harvest management techniques, etc.
This portion of the event was created to bring a bit of fun. It was also meant to show that the farmers are not only farming but have plenty of talents as well. All the participants in the show were farmers– six sang songs, three told jokes, and two danced. Elius Dubreus and Madame Denise were the champions of this section, as they danced to a piece of music that made the audience laugh.
For the ceremony, each group invited up a number of people. Agronomist, James, was introduced to the floor to greet the newly graduated and share some words of encouragement and honor the whole team that made this training possible. Local authorities also thanked MFK for the program and for all MFK has done in these communities. They went on to congratulate the farmers for giving up their time to participate in this training.
Each farmer was called to receive their gifts and certificate. Every one of them received a certificate, a set of 10 mesh bags that will allow them to store their peanuts properly, a book that includes all the topics covered during the training, and a tarp that will allow them to dry their peanuts and keep them from being contaminated.
Finally, everyone including the farmers, MFK staff, and guests shared a meal together. It was a great moment together to celebrate these resilient farmers.
What an accomplishment for these farmers! This is why we do what we do at MFK– we are proud of our mission is to continue working in favor of the most vulnerable and support agriculture in Haiti. We are happy to add 95 new farmers to the farmer network. We thank all of our supporters for your generosity– you don’t realize just how many families in Haiti you have impacted.
Congratulations to all our graduates!
