Food Security - Operation Mango Tree: Tilori, Haiti

Food Security Project

For the people living in the Lamielle section of Haiti (the communities of Tilori, Lamielle and Lagua), food security is a matter of having an improved quality of life. Sometimes it is a matter of survival. Many people in Haiti live on less than two dollars a day, which is not enough to have three meals a day. One meal a day is a common practice in these communities. Some days, a family will skip meals altogether. This leads to malnutrition, especially in children. The people of these three communities have a strong desire to improve their situation. Families want to work together to improve their food production capability and their nutrition.

The Cheerful Heart Mission is embarked on a Food Security Project. This project will benefited 200 families in the three communities of Lamielle Section in Haiti and consisted of three components: the installation of 50 vegetable patches, the installation of 50 plots of short cycle crops, and the planting of 5,000 mango trees. The project was completed in 18 months.

The vegetable patches containing cucumber, eggplant, carrot, radish, cabbage, lettuce, beets, and okra, will be grown and harvested within 45 to 60 days. The short cycle crop plots, containing peanuts, beans, corn, millet, black eye beans, pigeon beans, and squash, will be grown within 90 to 120 days. The families received seeds, fertilizer, garden tools and fencing. They also received training on best practices for planting, growing and harvesting their crops.

Families from Tilori, Lamielle and Lagua with adequate land for the production of mangoes received mango trees. The best type of mango tree for the climate of Haiti is the Kent Mango. The Kent Mango plants were purchased from nurseries in the Dominican Republic. The project supplied the families with mango plants, shovels, and organic fertilizer. The families were responsible for preparing the soil, sowing the seeds, protecting the plants from animals, and performing all other tasks required to maintain abundant production. They received training on all these processes. The mango is a highly valued fruit in these communities. Mangoes are one of the income sources in the area. From May to August, a large mango trade occurs in these communities. Many people go to the Tilori market to sell their mangoes to buyers who distribute them to supermarkets and hotels located in the Dominican Republic.

The children of the Community Church of Kinnelon, New Jersey partnered with Cheerful Heart Mission to help with the Food Security Project through Operation Mango Tree. A gift of $15.00 provided a family with mango trees, tools, fertilizer, and training.