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The country of Haiti has faced chronic food insecurity for decades. Increasing domestic food production has been identified as a key part of the solution, but this requires building human capacity, especially related to agricultural extension and research. Haiti’s agricultural universities can be key players in this process. The purpose of this study was to explore the self-perceived readiness of Haitian agricultural university students to enter the workforce. Results revealed students had a wide variety of career aspirations and appreciated the breadth of the agronomy engineer degree. Students also expressed favorable opinions about their preparedness for the job market but felt pessimistic about finding a job. Students valued the importance of research and felt prepared to lead a research project. Finally, students thought all 17 Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) New Extensionist competency areas were important. Recommendations for additional research and practice are provided. Keywords:Haiti, agriculture, higher education, research, extension

Human capacity building in Haiti’s agricultural sector can be utilized to reduce the country’s food insecurity. Haitian agricultural university and technical schools are responsible for supplying workforce ready graduates and therefore play a role in poverty reduction. Previous research has been conducted to assess these institutions from the perspective of faculty, students, and farmers. However, the employer perspective has not been considered, which could lead to a disconnect between what employers and the university believe are essential skills for graduates to obtain. This study focused on identifying the perceptions of the Haitian agricultural workforce regarding the ability of technical schools to produce graduates. This study used a basic qualitative design involving interviews of Haitian agricultural employers. The interviews revealed employers perceptive of curriculum strengths and weaknesses as well as desired employer skills for graduates. Employers also provided insight into the current job opportunities for graduates as well as what makes an “ideal” employee. We found a disconnect between jobs available and the skills being taught to graduates to fill these jobs. While employers desire employees with strong soft skills, there is a need for more technical skills to be taught at the agricultural schools.

The contribution of agricultural universities to long-term food security in developing countries is widely acknowledged. The extent to which these universities in each country are helping students develop the requisite competence to meet employment needs is unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore Haitian faculty members’ perceptions of student competence at graduation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 lecturers who taught at five of the major agricultural universities in Haiti. The results of this revealed that (a) the employment conditions for university graduates were challenging; (b) faculty did not believe it was important for their students to graduate proficient in all the GFRAS New Extensionist competency areas; (c) faculty believed students should have research skills, the ability to be self-directed, and the ability to work in teams; and (d) faculty generally believed their institutions were producing graduates with the competencies needed for employment, although several lecturers identified specific areas for improvement. Recommendations for curricula reform and additional research are suggested.

Food insecurity is widespread in Haiti. The tertiary agriculture institutions have the great challenge of educating the future professionals who will help in meeting the growth needs of the Haitian agriculture sector. The extent that faculty are prepared for the teaching roles is unknown. This study examined this topic using a basic qualitative study that consisted of interviews with 37 lecturers working at five leading agricultural universities in Haiti. Data were analyzed using a basic thematic analysis. Results revealed the majority of participants generally felt well-prepared for their academic roles. The institutional climate for professional development is variable across the universities represented by the participants of this study. Incentives for participating in professional development were primarily intrinsic. There were 56 specific topics suggested by participants for professional development trainings.

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo principal el entender, mediante un proceso indagatorio de base, el rol de las mujeres rurales -que participan en el Movimiento Campesino Papaye- en el desarrollo comunitario en zonas rurales en Haití, para sentar las bases y datos necesarios en una intervención posterior de cualquier organismo nacional o internacional que visa mejorar las condiciones de vida de esta categoría. El papel de las mujeres, no solo en porcentaje global de la población, en el tema de actividades para el desarrollo del país es fundamental. No siempre juegan este papel debido a problemas de género que caracteriza la sociedad haitiana desde muchos años. En este sentido, para colaborar a reducir la pobreza y alcanzar un mayor desarrollo y organización comunitaria en las zonas rurales en Haití, se requiere la participación organizada de las mujeres en todas las esferas. Para alcanzar el objetivo de este trabajo, se utilizó el método de investigación acción participativa para colectar datos e informaciones cerca de las mujeres a través de un formulario de entrevista semiestructurada. Los resultados revelan que gracias a la participación de las mujeres dentro de la organización, la comunidad tiene ahora acceso a la salud, a la electricidad, al agua potable, a la comunicación como lo son las carreteras y otras modalidades. Los resultados revelan que las mujeres que son miembros de esta organización no son víctimas de discriminación ni de violencia dentro del movimiento. Pueden participar en todas las actividades y jugar cualquier papel dentro o afuera de la organización. Tienen una situación económica mucho mejor que algunas que no son miembros de la organización. Las que no son miembros de la organización tienen menos acceso al crédito, a capacitaciones, incluso son víctimas de violencia y de discriminación dentro de la comunidad. El manuscrito concluye que la participación de las mujeres dentro de una estructura comunitaria organizada les permite desarrollarse, conocer y defender mejor sus derechos, contribuyendo al desarrollo de su comunidad y a la reducción de la pobreza en zonas rurales en Haití.