The Growers' Community

Baradères is located near the far end of the long peninsula stretching west from Port-au-Prince (map). The Baradères river flows north from its headwaters in the mountains that run the length of the peninsula. The river runs through Baradères—the region's main population center. A mile or so past the town, the river enters the bay that connects to the Gulf of La Gonave.

Population of the Baradères region—the river valley, its surrounding mountains and a few smaller streams—is estimated at about 45,000. The region covers about 60 square miles. Mountain peaks rise from 1500 to 3000 feet above the valley. There is only one road from the outside, and it is passable only by high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicles.

The economy is totally based on subsistence farming, and coffee production occurs only within that context. In subsistence agriculture, farmers typically grow only enough food or other crops to feed the family, and possibly to yield a small marketable surplus. They don't—or can't—participate much in the cash market.

Baradères has one government owned medical clinic and virtually no other public services such as telephone, sanitation, or electricity (except generators). Private vehicles are few. "Public transportation" consists of one or two large trucks that move goods and people in and out of the area over the single, abysmal road that is deeply rutted and eroded.

On the other hand, Baradères has an outstanding parochial middle- and high school, the Collège St. Jean Baptiste (CSJB), operated by the parish of St. Pierre. The town also has a functioning public school system. While the people of Baradères are very poor, they highly value the education of their children. The students of CSJB have been very competitive in achievement rankings within the department of Nippes—the national administrative region that includes Baradères.

The motto of the town of Baradères is "Le Grenier d'Haïti"—the "Breadbasket of Haiti." Today, "Charcoal Basket" might be more accurate. Still, compared with most of Haiti, Baradères retains considerable forest, water and soil resources that are potentially productive if farmed in a sustainable manner. Shade-grown coffee, because it keeps soil covered with vegetation in the highest reaches of life-giving watersheds, could play critical economical and environmental roles in helping the Baradères region move towards sustainability.

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