Why Are Haitian Farmers So Poor? The Problem Isn't Just Farming

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - EntSun -- A farmer can grow an excellent crop and still struggle to earn a reliable income. Production is only one part of the equation. The crop also has to be processed, moved, priced, sold and connected with a buyer.

That is market access. In Haiti, where infrastructure, financing and logistics can be difficult, the distance between a good product and a dependable customer can be enormous. Development work that focuses only on production misses that commercial middle.

Singing Rooster's model starts with a different question: who will buy what Haitian producers already grow and make? With coffee, that can mean connecting farmers and cooperatives with roasters, cafés, retailers and consumers. With cacao, it can mean reaching chocolate makers. With art, it means finding stores and customers who value the work.

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World Bank projects in Haiti have also treated market access, logistics, quality systems and business capability as part of agricultural development. The principle is practical: a product becomes an economic opportunity when someone is willing and able to buy it.

Markets do not solve every challenge. But without buyers, even excellent production can stop at the farm gate. Stronger connections between Haitian producers and customers give good products a better chance to become sustainable businesses.

About Singing Rooster

Singing Rooster is a nonprofit social enterprise connecting Haitian producers with markets for coffee, cacao, chocolate and art. Founded in 2009, the organization works with Haitian producers and commercial partners to create economic opportunity through trade.

SOURCES + CITATIONS

Singing Rooster — About / Impact (https://singingrooster.org/about-singing-rooster-impact/)