Part 2 of 2 about konbit in our ongoing State of Haiti series
PIGNON, HAITI— Last month, the United Nations World Food Program made a 25% cut in food aid it has provided to Haiti even while saying a staggering 4.9 million Haitians are grappling with severe hunger. Meanwhile, an unknown number of Haiti’s farms — large and small — that could produce food or the means to go buy sustenance sit untended. Or their potential to feed the country goes unrealized.
Overview:
Konbit, the Haitian farming custom deeply rooted in collective effort for food production and other socio-economic systems, is disappearing in many provinces, including Pignon. The shortage of people available or interested in farmwork is impacting output in entire towns, and perhaps the very idea of “carrying the load together” that had permeated the Haitian mindset, ways and culture beyond the fields.
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