A Mere 5 Gallons a Day

OK, so my description of this blog says our 'adventures in Spain,' but let's be realistic. Most of you reading know or have some inkling of our involvement/interest/passion/craze for Haiti. So reallistically, you are going to get a mix here...Spain, Haiti, Haiti, Spain. Hey, it's our blog, right?

So below is an article sent to me by one of my Haitian news sources (it's tough getting news from Haiti - it doesn't occur to most people to think, hmm, wonder why I haven't heard anything about Haiti in the last 8-12 months??? Answer: corporate news). Anyway, back to the topic. So I get these random articles and usually they are more bad news. Today I receive an encouraging article, yet one that gives perspective of one type or another.

The comment at the end about 5 gallons...wow. FIVE, CINCO, SENK...to "help our families," familias, fanmi yo. If it only took five gallons of milk to sustain a familiy............... What's that? $15 a day (retail, in the US, not Haiti)? For a family of 8, 10, 12 +++++??? Could YOUR family of 8-20 survive on that much a day? Mine (of 5) couldn't. Wow. Note to self: I am BLESSED.

So read the article. And consider things like fair trade, locally produced goods, sustainable farming, sustaining yourself, your family, your community. Beware, the next entry is me, on a soapbox. Sorry in advance, but really, as Americans, do we even KNOW this kind of crap happens?

OK, the article...

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Let it flow

Trade: what's happening? - Christian Aid...In Haiti, an innovative new dairy project is helping farmers get to market for the first time in years - and could help reverse environmental degradation ...

July 05 2007

For 20 years, Haitian dairy farmers have been watching their livelihoods go down the drain. Their milk has been knocked off the shelves by cheaper European powdered and condensed varieties – a direct result of opening Haiti’s market in the name of free trade.

Jean Anel is a farmer in Bon Repos, just outside the capital Port au Prince. He explains the economics – and it isn’t complicated: ‘The cost of living has gone up but of course the price of milk has not followed.’

The environmental cost
With nowhere to sell their milk, some farmers in Haiti began literally pouring it away. Others have struggled on, cultivating crops in remote locations on poor, over-farmed soil. Many have given up hope altogether. While the collapse of Haiti’s domestic markets has driven thousands to cross the border into the Dominican Republic to find poorly paid but regular work, the common response has been to cut down the few trees that are left in Haiti to sell as charcoal. The consequences for the landscape – and the people who have to live on it – have been devastating, increasing the impact of climate change and forming a vicious cycle of poverty and environmental degradation.

Back to market
For years, local producers have lacked the infrastructure and, crucially, the cold-storage equipment to hold their own against the cheaper imports. Veterimed, one of Christian Aid's partners, has set about levelling the playing field. ‘There’s a lot of milk farming in the Bon Repos area and an abundance of that milk is being wasted,’ explains Sainfanel Pierre-Louis, director of the new Let Agogo (Flowing Milk) dairy set up by Veterimed. ‘The farmers need a structure to access the market.’ The market has proven enthusiastic. And, importantly, thanks to Let Agogo, it’s a market they have a fighting chance in. Sainfanel explains: ‘Farmers sell their milk to the dairy, where we process it into fresh yoghurt and sterilised milk. Then it is delivered to supermarkets, shops and restaurants in the city.’

In demand
Veterimed also ensures that the benefits reach as many people as possible by converting profits into dividends, which are paid in kind rather than in money. ‘Instead of giving them cash we give them a pump or water tank,’ says Sainfanel. ‘Something the whole community can benefit from.’ ‘It seems that there is a craze for Haitian cows’ milk,’ says Anel. ‘Now there isn’t enough milk being produced across the country to satisfy demand.’ In the south-eastern region of Forêt des Pins, a new dairy is due to start up with support from Christian Aid, producing sterilised milk and Edam cheese.

Giving the land a chance
The area has suffered huge damage from storms, thanks in part to its exposure after decades of deforestation. Veterimed hope its latest project will provide around 75 farmers and their families with a steady source of income that doesn’t entail cutting down trees. Along with Fadem, the local farmers’ association, Veterimed is also encouraging people to get more out of the land they have – and to help revive it in the process. It helps farmers plant elephant grass to feed the animals, avocados to sell, and pine trees to shade them both and reduce the strain on the soil. Emanuel Poliska, a farmer who is about to start selling his milk to the dairy, is able to look ahead optimistically. ‘We believe that with the new dairy, if we can bring five gallons a day we can generate regular incomes and help our families.’