The Feed the Future West/WINNER Project was implemented from June 2009 through May 2014. One of the key objectives of the project was to improve the livelihoods of people living in its areas of intervention. The areas of intervention initially included the Cul-de-Sac watershed and the Gonaïves/La Quinte watershed. Following the January 12th 2010 earthquake, two new areas of intervention were added: the Matheux (St Marc) corridor and the Mirebalais/Saut d’Eau region. After the project was adjusted to integrate the Feed the Future initiative in 2011, the areas of intervention were circumscribed to the Cul-de-Sac corridor and the Matheux (St Marc) corridor, with the Mirebalais/Saut d’Eau region for activities in the mango value chain.
In 2013, FtF West/WINNER conducted a household survey in the three remaining areas of intervention (Cul-de-Sac, Matheux, and Mirebalais/Saut d’Eau) to ascertain the evolution of rural household income. The report presents the increase in rural household income in the areas benefiting from Ftf West/WINNER interventions. The baseline studies conducted in 2009 and 2010 did not use random sampling or comprehensive survey methodologies. Therefore, the objective was to have an idea of average or “typical” sources of income in rural households in the areas of intervention of the project.
The definition of a rural household is used for Indicator 4.5.2-13 (Number of rural households benefiting directly from USG interventions). A household is a beneficiary if it contains at least one individual who is a beneficiary. An individual is a direct beneficiary if they come into direct contact with the set of interventions (goods or services) provided by the activity. The intervention needs to be significant, meaning that if the individual is merely contacted or touched by an activity through brief attendance at a meeting or gathering, they should not be counted as a beneficiary.
To assess the rural household incomes in the areas of intervention of the FtF West/WINNER project, several baseline studies were conducted at different points in the project. For the Cul-de-Sac watershed, there were two baseline studies conducted in 2009. The first baseline study was conducted by Agro-consult for the Rivière Grise and La Quinte watersheds, and the report was completed in October 2009. However, the study did not include the hillside areas of Petionville, which were the subject of a separate assessment completed in December 2009 by consultant Dieuvet Michel. From the Agroconsult study, the average income from agricultural activities generated by rural households in the Rivière Grise watershed was 43,178 gourdes.
The baseline average rural household income in the Matheux watershed was derived from a baseline study conducted in 2010 by consultant Jean Chesnel Jean. The average agricultural household income in the Matheux watershed was estimated to be 68,957 gourdes. The baseline average rural household income in the Mirebalais/Saut d’Eau region was derived from a baseline study conducted in 2010 by consultant Jean Chesnel Jean. The average agricultural household income for the Mirebalais/Saut d’Eau region was estimated to be 34,525 gourdes.
The average baseline rural household income for the Cul de Sac watershed was estimated to be 38,859 Gourdes ($959) based on the average household income in the rivière Grise watershed (80% weight) and the average household income in the Petionville hillside areas (20% weight). The average baseline rural household income for the Matheux watershed was estimated to be 68,957 Gourdes ($1,682). The average baseline rural household income for the Mirebalais/Saut d’Eau region was estimated to be 57,289 Gourdes.