USAID’s AVANSE Project in Haiti: An assessment of its conformity with aid effectiveness principles.
In 2013, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) launched Appui à la Valorisation du Potentiel Agricole du Nord, pour la Sécurité Économique et Environnementale—Aid to Realize the Agricultural Potential of the North, for Economic and Environmental Security, or AVANSE—in northern Haiti. This $87 million project, also known as Feed the Future North, runs through the end of 2019.
Oxfam examined AVANSE utilizing an aid effectiveness lens. The research found that the project is generally well-aligned with Haiti’s national agricultural plans. However, USAID did not engage either the Haitian government or the beneficiary farmers in project design. Consequently, AVANSE has not adequately addressed local concerns about access to water, despite periodic severe droughts. Nor has the project targeted key local food crops, such as yams, or livestock, despite the desires of participating farmers.