Moringa Documentary Project Proposal

The Situation

When her name is mentioned, Haiti, most of us immediate think of her poverty. “Poorest country in the Western Hemisphere,” the world recites by memory. But there was a time when Ayiti was known for her natural beauty and rich agriculture. “Pearl of the Carribean,” she was called, once one of the richest lands in the world.

It is sadly ironic that today she can not produce enough food to feed even her own people. 30% of Haiti’s 11 million people do not have access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. The most severely-affected are families living in rural areas where 75% of children are malnourished and underweight and 22% of children experience growth stunting. And 51% of all food in Haiti must be imported.

There is no doubt that Haiti’s once-rich soil is tired and parched. Decades of deforestation have made it that way. To add to this difficult baseline, Haiti periodically suffers more than her fair share of natural disasters which worsen her already-dire situation. The winds and flooding of periodic hurricanes and tropical storms often cause widespread devastation and loss to family farms. And a heartless El Niño weather cycle recently added three years of drought to her problem of daily hunger.

Few disagree that agriculture will play a critical role in Haiti’s overall (health, nutritional, economic) recovery. Re-establishing the strength and primacy of the family farm must, therefore, be an emphasis in any thoughtful strategy to bring transformative change to this land. The challenge is great, of course, solutions will come in many forms.

Moringa

A tree native to Northern India and now common throughout Africa, has now come along as a promising solution to Haiti’s dire agricultural and nutritional situation. In Africa it is commonly known as “Nebedaye” (“never die”). Others call it “The Miracle Tree.” For good reason…

Moringa, well-researched and widely-regarded to being, ounce-for-ounce, one of the most nutritionally-dense plant sources on Earth, boasts an impressive resumed of vitamin-mineral-protein content: Ounce for ounce, fresh moringa leaves provide…

4 times the Vitamin A of Carrots
7 times the Vitamin C of Oranges
4 times the Calcium of Milk
3 times the Potassium of Bananas
3/4 the Iron of Spinach
2 times the Protein of Yogurt

Ounce for ounce, dry Moringa leaves provide…

10 times the Vitamin A of Carrots
1/2 the Vitamin C of Oranges
17 times the Calcium of Milk
15 times the Potassium of Bananas
25 times the Iron of Spinach
9 times the Protein of Yogurt

It’s no wonder why Moringa is gaining rapid popularity on the world nutritional-supplement market.

The exciting thing is that we have found that Moringa not only survives but seems to thrive on the poor soil and periodic drought conditions here in Haiti. It grows quickly from seed, maturing to seed-producing trees in just a year. Crop diseases and pests seem to leave it alone. Worldwide studies of its addition to the diets of children show dramatic improvements in growth and overall health. Not surprisingly, livestock that forage on Moringa are healthier, provide more milk, and healthier offspring.

There is no doubt that Moringa can play an important role in the overall agriculture and nutrition picture in Haiti. We need to get this message out!

Project: “The Message of Moringa”

Vision:

To establish Moringa as a high-nutrition, home-grown food source in every family garden in Haiti.

Strategy and Methods:

Produce a professional quality, Creole-language documentary on the merits and uses of Moringa, with instruction in its planting, growth, harvest, and integration into the daily diet.
Distribute the documentary, along with Moringa seeds and seedlings to businesses, churches, and schools in every city and village in Haiti.

This documentary will be viewed by millions of people across Haiti. We have already made important contacts with influential media personnel in Haiti who have committed to presenting this important film on Haitian television and assisting us getting the film distributed across the country. And, given its stated strong desire to reestablish the strength of its agriculture sector, we believe the government of Haiti will also be strongly supportive of this important film that stands to make such a difference in the health and vitality of its people.

Thousands of Moringa seedlings are already being nurtured at Starfysh’s Life Garden, our agricultural research and demonstration farm on La Gonave, seedlings we hope to put in the hands of each church, school, and business receiving a copy of the film. Each of these seedlings will be seed-bearing within a year, providing seeds for sharing and planting in regions surrounding each of these film distribution points.

Needs:

Thanks to a very generous reduction in fees from a local film production company who believes in our work, we will be able to film, edit, and produce the completed film for $20,000.

We are looking for individuals, businesses, and groups who will partner with Starfysh to make “The Message of Moringa” a reality. The return on investment in this important documentary will be enormous, impacting millions of people dealing with the problem of hunger. Partners investing $100 or more will be added to the documentary credits at the conclusion of the film.