Food insecurity is widespread in Haiti. The tertiary agriculture institutions have the great challenge of educating the future professionals who will help in meeting the growth needs of the Haitian agriculture sector. The extent that faculty are prepared for the teaching roles is unknown. This study examined this topic using a basic qualitative study that consisted of interviews with 37 lecturers working at five leading agricultural universities in Haiti. Data were analyzed using a basic thematic analysis. Results revealed the majority of participants generally felt well-prepared for their academic roles. The institutional climate for professional development is variable across the universities represented by the participants of this study. Incentives for participating in professional development were primarily intrinsic. There were 56 specific topics suggested by participants for professional development trainings.

Foliar application of nutrients is used by growers to remediate crop nutrient deficiencies, but anecdotal reports indicate there may be associated effects of accelerated crop maturity, particularly for irrigated peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.). Research was conducted to determine whether application of foliar fertilizers during early pod set could increase the proportion of early-maturing pods, and thereby increase the mature proportion of the profile under irrigated conditions. Field experiments were conducted in Florida at Citra in 2016, Jay in 2016 and 2017with a randomized complete block with four foliar fertilizer treatments, applied to GA-06G at R1 and again two wks later at R2. Treatments consisted of no foliar fertilizer (control), 10.0 kg N/ha, 1.0 kg P2O5/ha, and 0.34 kg B/ha at each application and two harvest timings. Harvest treatments were based on the adjusted growing degree d model for peanut and were timed to represent early and optimal crop maturity. Leaf tissue nutrient concentrations were determined from samples collected 24h after each foliar treatment application. Yield and proportion of mature pods were quantified after each digging date. Normalized difference vegetation index data showed no treatment differences. The maturity profile (percentage of mature pods present in the sample) was not consistently different from respective controls during either harvest period. Results indicate foliar fertilizer applied during flowering had little effect on maturity acceleration in peanut, though foliar fertilization may still be effective at alleviating in-season nutrient deficiencies. Within site-year, application of foliar fertilizer did not increase yield. Under sound soil fertility management programs, foliar fertilizers did not increase yield or the maturity profile of peanut.

The contribution of agricultural universities to long-term food security in developing countries is widely acknowledged. The extent to which these universities in each country are helping students develop the requisite competence to meet employment needs is unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore Haitian faculty members' perceptions of student competence at graduation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 lecturers who taught at five of the major agricultural universities in Haiti. The results of this revealed that (a) the employment conditions for university graduates were challenging; (b) faculty did not believe it was important for their students to graduate proficient in all the GFRAS New Extensionist competency areas; (c) faculty believed students should have research skills, the ability to be self-directed, and the ability to work in teams; and (d) faculty generally believed their institutions were producing graduates with the competencies needed for employment, although several lecturers identified specific areas for improvement. Recommendations for curricula reform and additional research are suggested.

Human capacity building in Haiti’s agricultural sector can be utilized to reduce the country’s food insecurity. Haitian agricultural university and technical schools are responsible for supplying workforce ready graduates and therefore play a role in poverty reduction. Previous research has been conducted to assess these institutions from the perspective of faculty, students, and farmers. However, the employer perspective has not been considered, which could lead to a disconnect between what employers and the university believe are essential skills for graduates to obtain. This study focused on identifying the perceptions of the Haitian agricultural workforce regarding the ability of technical schools to produce graduates. This study used a basic qualitative design involving interviews of Haitian agricultural employers. The interviews revealed employers perceptive of curriculum strengths and weaknesses as well as desired employer skills for graduates. Employers also provided insight into the current job opportunities for graduates as well as what makes an “ideal” employee. We found a disconnect between jobs available and the skills being taught to graduates to fill these jobs. While employers desire employees with strong soft skills, there is a need for more technical skills to be taught at the agricultural schools.

The country of Haiti has faced chronic food insecurity for decades. Increasing domestic food production has been identified as a key part of the solution, but this requires building human capacity, especially related to agricultural extension and research. Haiti’s agricultural universities can be key players in this process. The purpose of this study was to explore the self-perceived readiness of Haitian agricultural university students to enter the workforce. Results revealed students had a wide variety of career aspirations and appreciated the breadth of the agronomy engineer degree. Students also expressed favorable opinions about their preparedness for the job market but felt pessimistic about finding a job. Students valued the importance of research and felt prepared to lead a research project. Finally, students thought all 17 Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) New Extensionist competency areas were important. Recommendations for additional research and practice are provided. Keywords:Haiti, agriculture, higher education, research, extension

ResumenEste trabajo tiene como objetivo principal el entender, mediante un proceso indagatorio de base, el rol de las mujeres rurales -que participan en el Movimiento Campesino Papaye-en el desarrollo comunitario en zonas rurales en Haití, para sentar las bases y datos necesarios en una intervención posterior de cualquier organismo nacional o internacional que visa mejorar las condiciones de vida de esta categoría. El papel de las mujeres, no solo en porcentaje global de la población, en el tema de actividades para el desarrollo del país es fundamental. No siempre juegan este papel debido a problemas de género que caracteriza la sociedad haitiana desde muchos años. En este sentido, para colaborar a reducir la pobreza y alcanzar un mayor desarrollo y organización comunitaria en las zonas rurales en Haití, se requiere la participación organizada de las mujeres en todas las esferas. Para alcanzar el objetivo de este trabajo, se utilizó el método de investigación acción participativa para colectar datos e informaciones cerca de las mujeres a través de un formulario de entrevista semiestructurada. Los resultados revelan que gracias a la participación de las mujeres dentro de la organización, la comunidad tiene ahora acceso a la salud, a la electricidad, al agua potable, a la comunicación como lo son las carreteras y otras modalidades. Los resultados revelan que las mujeres que son miembros de Abstract This work has as main objective to understand, through a basic investigatory process, the role of rural women, who participate in the peasant Movement Papaye-in community development in rural areas in Haiti to lay the groundwork and data necessary in a subsequent intervention of any national or international organization which aims to improve the living conditions of this category. The role of women, not only in overall percentage of the population, the issue of activities for the country's development is essential. They do not always play this role because gender issues that characterizes Haitian society for many years. In this sense, to help reduce poverty and achieve greater development and community organization in rural areas in Haiti, organized participation of women in all spheres is required. The participatory action research method to collect data and information about women through a semi-structured interview form was used to achieve the objective of this work. The results show that thanks to the participation of women within the organization, the community now has access to health, electricity, drinking water, communication such as roads and other modalities. The results show that women who are members of this organization are not victims of discrimination or violence within the movement. They can participate in all activities and play any role inside or outside the organization. They 936 Rev. Mex. Cienc. Agríc. Vol.7 Núm. 4 16 de mayo -29 de junio, 2016 Juline Pierre et al.esta organización no son víctimas de discriminación ni de violencia dentro del movimiento. Pueden participar en todas las actividades y ju...