Sèm’la Vie

Member of the network of agroecologists without borders (www.agroecologistesf.org).

Didier Meunier is an agronomist trainer, specialized in agroecology. Since January 2012, he has been working in the department of Grand’Anse to participate in the development of a quality cocoa sector.

He also had the opportunity to work on the production of vegetable seeds as part of a self-reliance and food self-sufficiency project.

On several occasions, he provided training in the department of Nippes and South-East of Haiti on the topics of agroecology. These various activities allowed him to have a visibility on the functioning, on the organization of the population and the structures that support them.

His interventions with the cocoa farmers of Grand ‘anse were made at the initiative of Jean Claude FIGNOLE, former president of the Association of Mayors of the Grand’ anse (AMAGA), very committed to the development of the cocoa sector In the region. The technical support and training provided to small producers by Didier MEUNIER, were financed by the solidarity funds of the JEAN HERVE Brand, which donates 1% of its turnover for local development projects in Haiti.

According to Didier Meunier, the technical training provided to producers has enabled important progress to be made: the size of the cocoa trees, the maintenance of plots, the management of diseases, the improvement of the bean fermentation process, the setting up of treatment centers, the structuring of the sectors….

Following this approach, the organic certification process for bean products validated the 1st of October 2015, the organic certification of more than 430 of the 510 producers.

During one of his last interventions in March 2016, Didier Meunier was able to continue a process of technical training with small local producers and deepen their knowledge on the size, the regeneration of old trees and also outline the contours to follow for consider the fair certification of future productions.

Given his experience with the CACCOMA cooperative, the main partner of the RECAVACA project, the AGED appealed to the agricultural expert to assist the planters in the process of ever greater mastery of techniques for the production of a quality cocoa.