FARM TO MARKET

Saturday, November 7

The day was separated by a hefty noon meal into two parts.  In the morning we journeyed up  "interstate 3" to San Raphael.  Loading up requires some athletic ability.  (See us loading.)Most of us stood in the back of a pick-up truck for the hour and fifteen minutes it took to get there.  In case you wonder, that is a severe test of endurance when you are in the blazing sun and on a road in Haiti.  For us veterans, it was a treat to encounter our favorite river crossing with the water level low.  See the video.

Our destination was a dam outside San Raphael that routed water from a river into an irrigation system.  The soil in that area is black and rich looking.    Crops of various types can be grown year-round when there is a constant source of water.  We saw rice, millet, and assorted vegetables growing in plots of 1 to 5 acres.  Of course, sugarcane is everywhere.  The irrigation system is more or less controlled by a committee.  It not only serves to irrigate fields but also it provides water for laundry and bathing.  This excursion enabled us to see what it was like to ride on what was a major highway and to look at what a constant water supply could do for farming more and  better crops.

In the afternoon we visited the weekly markets in Pignon.  There was a market for animals -- pigs, goats, donkeys, horses, chickens, cattle.  A separate market is for food ingredients, dry goods, clothing, furniture, books, and household equipment.  The market was packed with people and a group of "blan" (the name for whites) could barely stay in sight of each other.  Yes, it looked like one of those market streets in movies in third-world countries.  Multitudes of humans sounds -- greetings, negotiations, news -- filled the air.  The smells varied; some were more interesting and enticing than others.

We walked from the market area to  a hospital which some of us visited.  The we stopped at a large Catholic church on our way to refreshments at what we were told was the best bar in Pignon.  Cold soft drinks and Prestige were very welcome after trekking around in the sun for a couple of hours.  Finally, we made a stop at the rum distillery that was on the way back to our Guest House.  It was clearly not meant for tourists to visit and it certainly gave us second thoughts about drinking rum.

Monday, November 10

On Monday, we traveled to the village of Wo Losmamoun in order to paint a well house.  On the way we passed through a town on its market day.  In contrast to the market in the city of Pignon, this one was smaller.  But it still demonstrates what a big economic and social event market day is.  People streamed in with their wares and produce to sell from miles around.  They came on foot, donkeys and motorbikes.  No trucks.  No carts.  Here is a glimpse of the Bohoc market

Commerce in the countryside is simple.  There are little roadside stands selling gasoline, snacks and sundries.  Sometimes people set out grain, bananas, or other local products.  The reality is that there is no reliable system for people to get their farm products moved in significant quantities over a distance of more than a 3 hour donkey ride.  The organization of such a system has not reached the the rural countryside.  It is beyond the capability of the government at this point.  It is not just one factor; but it is a constellation of factors -- geographical, social, economic and cultural.  Roads, for instance, are nearly non-existent; but they cannot be built without the capacity to both build and maintain roads in a systematic way.  Collaboration and coalescing is not yet part of Haiti's culture. 

Our stay in Pignon is clearly giving us more direct contact with people.  The Haiti Outreach staff is doing a wonderful job of leading us into interesting experiences with Haitians they know here.

--kjl