The Haiti-based Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA) and its members were honored yesterday at a ceremony in the Rome headquarters of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This event was part of a week-long celebration marking FAO’s 80th anniversary.

The SFA was selected following a search for “best practices and innovative approaches from around the world that advance global food security, sustainable development and agrifood systems transformation.” We were cited for outstanding achievement in “sustainable forest production and protection.” Other groups that were recognized in this category came from Brazil, China, Ethiopia, and the United States, just to name a few of the countries represented. Among those working in multiple nations were the Great Green Wall initiative, which extends across the entire width of Africa, and the Global Environmental Fund (GEF), which operates in over 180 developing countries to provide grants for biodiversity conservation, climate action, and sustainable land management.

“The experience of the Smallholder Farmers Alliance is an example of a productive, sustainable, and socially cohesive model that puts Haitian farmers at the center of action,” noted Pierre Vauthier, FAO Representative in Haiti. “By integrating forestry, livestock, and agriculture within a coordinated, bottom-up approach, diversified production systems can provide food to communities, income for farmers, and strong natural resource management over the long term. Even in a context of economic challenges and insecurity, this model has proven robust and resilient — a tangible example of how agriculture and natural resources management can drive economic recovery, social cohesion, and peace in Haiti.”