VISION

The long-term vision of the WINNER program is the following: "People living within targeted corridors will have sustainably increased incomes, driven by agricultural development, reduced threat from flooding, and a stronger private sector.  Their experience will serve as a model approach to replicate both within and beyond the targeted corridors".

APPROACH

To achieve the project vision, our new approach represents an augmentation from previous years, broadening to focus not only on farmers but on entire value chains.  It is aimed at reversing the course of economic and environmental decline in targeted corridors. We recognize the central role farmers must play to revitalize the Haitian rural economy. We are helping farmers acquire the resources and capacity to become more productive and generate higher incomes in a sustainable manner that protects the environment. We also work with the government at all levels, the private sector and other stakeholders to promote and protect productive investments, improve and enforce the legal and regulatory framework. We create strong economic linkages between farmer organizations and private enterprises that foster new business opportunities and lead to improved livelihoods.

SIX (6) KEY PRINCIPLES.

• Speed and focus. Intervene rapidly and generate tangible results, while remaining focused on the project purpose.
• Impact. Concentrate efforts and resources where we can maximize impact in terms of risk reduction, food production and improved livelihoods.
• Hope and empowerment. To stop environmental degradation and expanding poverty, provide farmers with enough resources and training to give them hope and a chance to improve their lives.
• Support for good governance. Work in partnership with the government, making sure activities advance its plans and approaches, while promoting compliance with laws and regulations.
• Productive partnerships. Foster strong and profitable partnerships between farmers and private enterprises at all stages of value chains to valorize lands, maximize production and ensure large scale commercialization.
•  Sustainability. Strengthen farmer organizations and set up structures and mechanisms that will continue to operate after WINNER ends.

Carrying out Year 3 (October 2011/September 2012 period) activities, WINNER is focusing its activities to reflect the new strategy of USAID/Haiti, as stated in our Task Order, amended in August 2011. WINNER project has aligned the goals with the Post-Earthquake USG Haiti Strategy: Toward Renewal and Economic Opportunity and with the USG Presidential Feed the Future Initiative. In line with this Strategy and Initiative, the highest level outcome WINNER now seeks to achieve is to sustainably increase incomes for rural households.

Building upon many of its past achievements as well as a meaningful reorientation, WINNER has now take a value-chain approach, which will augment its past successes at the farm-level through analysis and investments at each stage of value addition, including input markets, storage and processing, local and international wholesale and end markets, and support services (transport, communications, etc.). It will also take a greater look at policy and enabling environment issues. Such an approach will increase the likelihood of sustainability through greater engagement of the private sector and local and national government. WINNER is also focusing its investments to achieve deeper impact, both geographically—phasing out of Gonaives—as well as in terms of focus crops, concentrating the great majority of its resources in the corn, rice, bean, plantain, and mango value chains.

Our activities cover the October 2011/September 2012 period and are based on the new Results Framework, following modification #10 to the WINNER Task Order, which includes three Intermediate Results:

1. Agricultural Productivity Increased.
2. Watershed Stability Improved.
3. Agricultural Markets Strengthened.

New activities have been identified and will be implemented under this revised framework. Relevant interventions from our third work plan (January 2011/May 2012) will continue with some adjustments. Activities related to the “Earthquake Recovery Enhanced” key result have been terminated, with only a few remaining under the Small Business Recovery Initiative (SBRI) that will be soon completed.

We are committed to improve food security by introducing and disseminating technical innovations to modernize Haitian agriculture, bolstering agricultural productivity while stabilizing hillsides. We will simultaneously strengthen value chains and engage the private sector to find markets for and add value to the increased production . Our key beneficiaries will be small farmers grouped into well-structured associations and federations that will be increasingly linked to agribusinesses through mutually rewarding and sustainable business relationships.