Above: the new Kenscoff Centre for Rural Sustainable Development

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti has officially opened the new Centre for Rural Sustainable Development in Kenscoff in Haiti’s Ouest department.

The facility, which is managed by the help of specialists from the University of Florida, is a demonstrating and training centre that will work to modernize agricultural practices in Haiti.

The UF specialists are promoting the use of greenhouses, drip irrigation and vertical farming for the first time in Haiti.

Prior to its official opening, the centre had certified 423 farmers, including 152 women.

The centre is being implemented by a USAID project called “Feed the Future West.”

Project Director, Jean Robert Estime, said local farmers were beginning to boost both their production, and their incomes, in part through the use of greenhouse technology.

“I do not want Haitian farmers to earn only $1 per day,” said US Ambassador White, who was on hand for the ceremony this week. “Only when Haitian peasants earn enough money to pay for their children’s education and health care, and provide for their families, is when we will be really happy.”