Soy in Haiti: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Friday, July 30, 2010

Today was a bit of a deja vu for me. We traveled to the Hotel Karibe to host our workshop on soy nutrition: Soy in Haiti: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. We held a seminar at this venue in January 2009 focusing on soy applications in dairy and meat processing. It was great to be back and working with our partners in person. There remains great interest in developing local food production and processing capacity as well as a strong dedication to meeting the nutritional needs of the Haitian people.

There was excellent participation at the conference with over 65 attendees who represented the NGO community, local government, businesses and academia. They all helped make this a rich exchange of ideas and collaborative thinking.

We were able to share the value of soy protein with this group and discuss how it has been in use in Haiti for many years in many forms. We explained the excellent protein resource and economical benefits that can be achieved through the use of soy proteins.

At the end of the workshop, we met with several individuals and groups interested in pursuing the use of soy protein and discussed ways to connect them to the market suppliers in the U.S. We also discussed options for microenterprises using soy as a base product or ingredient.

As we come to the end of our time in Haiti, we leave with cautious optimism. The country's spirit is intact and that is a true strength for the nation as it rebuilds and evolves. We have seen such dedication and creativity this past week in the work being done in Haiti by Haitians and internationals alike. There is an opportunity here for the nation to move forward and build a strong foundation from which to flourish and grow. We will continue to work to expand the use of soy protein products in Haiti and around the world.

Regards,

Bridget