LITTLE FLOWER HMI FAMILY FARM

The Little Flower HMI Family Farm -Ravine Sable, Haiti       

The family farm concept developed out of Haiti Mission’s (HMI) animal distribution program.  For many years HMI has been distributing farm animals to the families in the villages in which we serve.  This has been a wonderful project that has helped the children and families.  The families who received the animals – chickens, sheep, goats, pigs and donkeys – can breed them, sell them or barter with them.  HMI has never put restrictions on the use of the animals since each family’s needs are unique.  Besides helping to feed and clothe the families, this has been a way for many of them to send their children to school. 

          Our rudimentary attempts to more efficiently produce animals by developing a pig breeding facility, a goat farm and a chicken farm have met with mixed results.  Some successes and some failures have taught us some fruitful lessons.   When all was said and done, buying healthy animals from individuals who were willing to sell and giving them to those who were not able to purchase animals seemed to be the best of both worlds and accomplished our goals without the expense of trying to raise the animals ourselves.

         With a grant from a supporter in the US, (Little Flower Enterprises, LLC – Marthaville, LA)  HMI has been able to begin a laying hen project on our farm property.  The two experimental houses that were originally built in 2013 were able to house approximately two hundred laying hens.  Things have gone well and with the addition of another house and a functional fresh water well, the operation has become for the most part, self-supporting.  The farm has property sufficient enough to grow some other cash crops as well as serve as a training facility to teach new agriculture and agronomy techniques.  The property is located across the street from our Ravine Sable elementary school campus and is dedicated to helping the communities of Numero Deux and Ravine Sable through the intercession St. Therese of Liseux – “The Little Flower”

Farm4 

Farm entrance gate  Feb 2013

  Farm5

Fence surrounding farm Feb 2013                   

 

Farm3  

Wiring lights March 2013                                

For a number of years, HMI had worked with several men from the Jeremie region to develop an experimental farm where they could earn a living, produce vegetables, poultry and other livestock products.   Our goal was that the farm would serve as a model to encourage and help others in the community become more proficient in agronomy skills. These efforts have born much fruit.  During that time, three poultry buildings were constructed housing chickens which layed almost 200 eggs daily as well as producing a considerable number of broiler chickens.   In 2015 we were able to acquire funding for a submersible pump to install in a 300 ft deep well on the property. This well assures a constant source of potable water for the chickens, other farm animals, irrigation of the vegetable crops and for the families of this drought-prone community.  HMI has always intended that as many of its projects as possible can one day be turned over to local supervision and become self-sustaining.  As of January 2016, our farm had reached that point and HMI turned over the operations to Fr. Jomanas Eustache and his community team.