Coffee Expert Sarah Brinkley's Journey in Haiti

By Sarah Brinkley, F2F Volunteer In Haiti

I’m thrown into a world of chaos: the smell of diesel, heaps of traffic-impeding garbage, pigs and goats feasting freely—extreme poverty. Though I have traveled to farming communities throughout Latin America, I had never seen such hardship. My assignment with Partners of the Americas brought me to Cap-Haitien, the original capital of Haiti. I was debriefed upon arrival. The Partners’ USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program appointed me to serve as a Coffee Production Specialist. My expertise was needed to survey coffee production, implement agricultural management strategies, and train the local co-op (including farmers, extension agents, and university students). I was optimistic about how my assignment would unfold, who I would meet, and what I would learn.

On day 1, I made the rutted, 2-hour journey south through the Nord department to visit the co-op of Association des Travailleurs de Dondon (ATD). In Dondon, I was first acquainted with Haitian coffee. I got straight to work surveying two forested coffee plots. It was mid-December 2017, roughly a month after harvest. The first plot reflected this and was virtually devoid of fruit. It was well managed. By contrast, the second plot was nearly inaccessible. The bend of a small river framed in this peninsula on three sides. The remaining side was banded by a cactus fence. This formidable layout made me pause to consider how the women of Dondon traverse this section while balancing buckets brimming with coffee cherry. I took field counts of both plots. The latter plot was clearly in distress. Roughly 75% of the leaves displayed signs of disease, and there were high counts of unharvested cherry. This neglected fruit was infested with coffee berry borer (CBB) or “eskolit” in Haitian Creole. My survey revealed the urgency of including CBB control strategies in my trainings over the coming weeks.

Training ATD began with a nursery construction project to address problems with root development. While we worked, I probed the group about their concerns with eskolit. Were they aware of the threats posed by CBB? Did they struggle to control the beetle? Were there barriers to successful CBB management? It turned out, ATD was well aware of CBB. They had seen up to 25% loss and even knew, theoretically, how to create CBB traps made from recycled materials. However, the co-op members had heard a pheromone attractant was required as bait but didn’t have access to it. To overcome this limitation, I offered a solution based on my review of the literature. I explained, a 3:1 ethanol/methanol mixture is proven to be effective bait. Since the alcohols may still be hard to find, I recommended the ATD co-op members experiment with readily available alternatives, like fermented fruit juices or honey. Even more importantly, beyond the traps, I stressed that management practices were the first line of defense against CBB. To reinforce this message, we put theory into practice by cleaning high priority fields.

With all of our efforts a question arose, “What options do I have if my neighbors are mismanaging their CBB infestation?” I explained that the traps also indicate population count and direction of emergence. Equipped with that information, they could engage their coffee producing neighbors. With the right tools, vigilant management, and open dialog they were ready to tackle CBB losses, which would in turn lead to prosperity for their whole community.

Nearing the end of my assignment, I came upon an important revelation. Before arriving in Haiti, I couldn’t imagine what I would teach veterans of 30+ years about their livelihoods, yet my time in Dondon helped me to realize an important link between the scientist and the farmer. In our closing talks with ATD/EMAD, Benito concluded with an important analogy. The farmer and the scientist are standing on two opposite riverbanks separated by an impassable body of water. On one side is all theory, on the other—all practice. For the future of coffee—and all agriculture—to be sustainable, there must be a bridge connecting the two. Partners F2F enabled me to be that missing link, bridging the divide.