Climate change is real. In Haiti, subsistence agriculture remains a primary livelihood in rural areas. Unpredictable cycles of drought and flooding quickly turn promising harvests into devastating loss.
When Quixote Center launched the socioeconomic recovery pilot project with DCCH in 2025, 100 participating farmers received seeds and livestock under favorable weather conditions. When Hurricane Melissa struck, torrential rains and powerful winds damaged crops and killed two goats in the community of Saint-Helene. Even well-designed agricultural projects can falter without a comprehensive approach to water management.
The project's second year, which is reaching an additional 100 farming families, also began with steady rainfall. But when we visited the communities of Gouin, Costa, Tricon, and Archambeau in August, it had not rained in over four months.
Quixote Center is working closely with DCCH to develop solutions that can make these communities more resilient. With our support, DCCH is building large community cisterns for household and agricultural use, rehabilitating existing wells, and installing water pumps to irrigate fields. DCCH also plans to study the capacity of local aquifers to identify the most reliable and effective sources of water, and to design a systemic approach to water management to include land-use practices that retain moisture in the soil and drought resistant crops.
At the community level, the socioeconomic recovery project is already helping families cope with climate shocks. The Mutual Solidarity (MUSO) groups have enabled them to invest in small businesses, creating alternative sources of income when their fields could not produce. The project's seed and livestock distribution model, structured as loans that are redistributed within the community, is also strengthening social cohesion while building resilience.
With your generous support, Quixote Center will continue strengthening DCCH's capacity to work alongside farming communities and develop solutions that can withstand the increasingly unpredictable climate, while helping families build more secure and sustainable livelihoods for the future.
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