Sustainable Food Laboratory

Small-Scale Farmers & Supply Chain Opportunities
SFL Learning Journey to Dominican Republic & Haiti

Late 2006 or early 2007

The Sustainable Food Laboratory (SFL) will be offering a Learning Journey in the Dominican Republic (DR) and Haiti to focus on the supply chain opportunities and challenges facing small-scale farmers in those countries. Part of the Learning Journey will be grounded in an active SFL Sustainable Livelihoods project led by SFL team member Freddie Payton of AgroFrontera Dominican Republic.

The purpose of the DR/Haiti Learning Journey will be to:

• Explore the economic, social, and environmental aspects of small-scale farmer food supply chains in communities in the northern border region of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
• Expose new participants interested in these types of food supply chains to experiential and theoretical aspects of the SFL group learning process.
• Provide an opportunity for SFL members working on the design and implementation of sustainable national and international food supply chains involving small-scale farmers to reinforce existing and create new alliances and strategies.

The Learning Journey will explore geographic areas where rural poverty and migrant labor are key concerns and will focus on several locally important food supply chains including rice, bananas, mangos, and coffee. These supply chains involve fresh and value-added products destined for local, national, or international markets. In aggregate, they highlight how food supply chains impact issues such as household and village-level food security and community reinvestment. They also demonstrate the interface of smallholder farmers and agribusiness (including export markets), the function of small-scale farmer collective action, the contrast of worker rights and rural community quality of life in different food supply chains and the environmental impact of small-holder farming systems.

Learning Journey participants will interact with key food supply chain stakeholders, from farmers and farm workers through to retails and government. Through these interactions, the participants will be able to gain an appreciation of the complexity and interdependence of the decisions and actions of stakeholders in and around food supply chains that have direct and indirect impacts on the social, economic, and environmental aspects of rural communities in the region.

Specific Learning Journey experiences will include visits to farms, agrarian reform settlements, agricultural and farm credit cooperatives, rural communities (including rural health centers, schools, and settlements), an agricultural processor, an agricultural exporter of fresh products, and terminal, wholesale, and retail fresh produce markets in Northwestern Dominican Republic and Northeastern Haiti. The project area borders the Monte Cristi National Park. A trip is planned to the Park to examine environmental impact of agricultural activities in the Park’s buffer zone and to enjoy the beauty and solace of the Park’s diverse coastal ecosystem.

The participants will have the chance to observe to what extent the diverse food systems of the region stack up to SFL sustainable food supply chain criteria. Participants will be asked to record and share their thoughts and observations on socio-economic issues surrounding food chains, including stakeholder equity, farmer and farm worker safety, the diversity and dignity of stakeholder roles and quality of life, effectiveness of community-based organizations and government agencies, democratic participation, corporate responsibility (including financial institutions), and community reinvestment.

The participants will also be asked to observe, record, and share their thoughts concerning the soundness of the agro-ecology of different food supply chains, including soil and water quality and conservation, biodiversity of species, maintenance and improvement of wildlife habitat on farms, natural areas and buffer zones, diversity and complexity of agricultural systems.

Finally, the group will be asked to reflect upon their Learning Journey and be encouraged to share thoughts on how it and the SFL group learning processes may affect their work. If appropriate, participants will dedicate time to the design and implementation of joint or collaborative activities to further their personal and organizational goals around sustainable food supply chains.

DAY ONE – Santiago, Dominican Republic

Welcome, Introductions and Orientation.
Learning Journey Preparation

DAY TWO — Travel to Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic

Field visits to farms (rice, banana, vegetable), exporter operation, fresh retail markets, and agrarian reform settlement communities.

DAY THREE — Travel to Vallieres, Haiti

Field visits to farms (mango and vegetable), markets, a farm cooperative and rural communities. Return to Monte Cristi.

DAY FOUR — Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic

Visit to the Monte Cristi National Park

DAY FIVE — Santiago, Dominican Republic

Visits to an agricultural processor, terminal market, and discussion with Dominican government officials.

Debriefing of Learning Journeys

DAY SIX — What is next? [one possibility for this day is an optional deeper discussion day for those engaged in sustainable livelihood / small farmer access work]

DAY SEVEN — Travel home

Participants will be asked to cover their in-country costs (estimated at $1200/person) and we plan to raise money for a travel support fund for those unable to cover their direct costs.

Please let Freddie Payton, Don Seville, or Diana Wright know if you are interested.