Seed system security assessment: Haiti

A Seed System Security Assessment (SSSA) was carried out in Haiti in May-June 2010. The work assessed
the impact of the 12 January 2010 earthquake on households and agricultural livelihoods, including pos
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sible changes in assets, land holdings, labor availability, income generation activities, crop profiles and seed
use.
The work also analyzed acute seed security issues, monitoring farmers’ seed procurement strategies and
examining the effects of any aid given. As a third thrust, the SSSA looked at chronic seed security problems,
including those related to seed/grain markets, agricultural product transformation and access to modern variet
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ies. Hence the foci included ‘very short term’, as well as short- and medium-term issues.
Ten sites have been included in the assessment. These are located in the following communes: Bassin Bleu,
Chantal, Hinche, Lascahobas, Verrettes, Marigot, Le Petit Goave (plains/hills), Léogâne, Belle Anse and La
Vallée de Jacmel. The sites typify Haiti smallholder agricultural regions and allow for insights into the mix of
areas in which humanitarian and development aid unfolds. In terms of agro-ecology, the sites range from the
better-off irrigated areas of Verrettes, to some of the drought-prone zones of Bassin Bleu, and include a range
of mountainous and lowland locales . Furthermore, Léogâne, La Vallée de Jacmel, and Le Petite Goave are
located directly in the earthquake epicenter and can be contrasted and compared with the other seven sites
scattered across the country.
The SSSA consisted of a total of 983 comprehensive farmer interviews, plus 35 focus group sessions (21
mixed, 15 women only), key informant interviews, and commissioned studies on special topics. Note that an
SSSA goes well beyond a conventional seed needs assessment as it homes in on specific seed security
problems communities face, and then recommends actions to alleviate specific constraints, and often improve
systems.