Paramaribo, Suriname, 9 March 2026 (IICA). More than four decades ago, a young Haitian man arrived in Suriname with nothing but unwavering resolve. His name is Manicel Simon and, like many of his compatriots, he had left behind his country in search of a place to work the land and raise his children. Today, at 64, that man can look at the furrows on his farm in the district of Saramacca and proudly say that he achieved his objective, and that constant effort, working with others and family unity bore fruit.
“I came here in 1981”, he recalls, “and I did all sorts of jobs to survive. I worked for other people until 1998, when I was finally able to buy my own piece of land. It was a huge change: having my own space meant freedom”. Since then, he has grown plantains, sweet potatoes, cassava and squash on a 36-hectare plot of land.
His personal story overlaps with that of his daughter, Majorie, who was born in Suriname. A farmer, agronomy technician and currently secretary and spokesperson for the Haitian Farmers Cooperative Society of Suriname (Coöperatieve Vereniging der Haïtiaanse Agrariërs Suriname), represents the second generation of a community that is not only putting down roots in a new country, but getting organized in order to grow.
Large numbers of Haitians arrived in Suriname in 1977, she recalls, “but for a long time there were no collaborative efforts of any kind. Each person worked on its own and that held us back. That’s why in 2015 we founded the cooperative, to focus on training, seek support and access opportunities that previously didn’t reach our community”.
For their work integrating immigrants, helping them acquire tools and implement new technologies, and for demonstrating that even in the most adverse conditions agricultural production is a driving force for life, Manicel Simon and his daughter, Majorie Simon, have been recognized as Leaders of Rurality of the Americas by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
Both are to receive the Soul of Rurality award, created by the hemispheric organization to celebrate those who make their mark in the fields of food security and sustainability in the region and across the globe.
Farmers need to learn how to export
The change that father and daughter are intent on bringing about is much more than simply a productive one. Through the cooperative, the Simons have enabled dozens of Haitian farmers to stop working in isolation and begin to see themselves as part of a community with rights and opportunities. Getting organized meant securing access to training and land, and having their own voice in dealings with the authorities—a step that transformed the lives of many rural families in Suriname.
The creation of the organization was a turning point. Until then, most Haitian farmers worked borrowed land, without contracts or guarantees. “Sometimes the owner would show up and ask you to leave, even after you had cleared and farmed the entire plot”, Majorie recounts. “That’s why many didn’t dare to produce on a large scale. Insecurity was a constant”. Over the years, the group managed to establish links with the government and international organizations, paving the way for the formalization of their situation. “After living here for nearly fifty years, this is the first time the State has directly helped Haitians withland to farm”, she explained.
The collective effort began to bear fruit. Thanks to projects supported by IICA, the FAO, the Caribbean Development Bank and the SAMAP program, farmers obtained agricultural machinery, water pumps, machetes, fertilizers and technical assistance. The organization—formally registered as the Haitian Farmers Cooperative Society—is one of the rural associations in Suriname that work with IICA on projects aimed at strengthening agriculture and food security, and which, for example, collaborated with the inter-American organization during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They also gave us training”, Manicel recalls, “and that’s worth more than anything, because when you learn, you can keep going on your own”. The cooperative also arranged for the arrival of small Kubota tractors, distributed strategically so that farmers could till the soil without depending on expensive equipment.
But big challenges remain. The local market is small and overproduction during harvest time leads to losses. “When there’s too much product, prices drop and we end up losing money”, Manicel explains. “That’s why we need to export or process what we produce”.
Majorie agrees: “In Suriname, almost everything is sold for fresh consumption. If we had machinery to process plantains, cassava, or chili peppers, we could produce chips, flour, or preserves. That way, the produce would have value all year round”.
“Here we learned how to fight together”
The vision for the future is clear. The organization is working to obtain the necessary licenses and adapt a building to make it possible to process food according to international standards. “We want to meet export standards”, says Majorie, “but that requires investment and expertise. That’s why we put so much emphasis on training: machinery is important, but training is even more so”.
The leadership of this young woman—who has received training and is bilingual and committed to her community—embodies the new face of agriculture in the Caribbean. Majorie combines her farming work with project management and digital communication. “We have a Facebook page with over ten thousand followers”, she says proudly. “There, we showcase what we do, promote our products, and have acquired some clients in Europe. I’m not a social media expert, but I do my best to raise awareness of the efforts of Haitian farmers.
As well as the projects, what sustains the community is a network of human connections. Every Sunday, families gather at the church, a meeting point and space for mutual support. “Life isn’t easy, but there’s peace here”, Majorie observes. Her father nods in agreement: “We stayed in Suriname because here we can build something for our children. In Haiti, the situation is very difficult; there, everyone struggles on their own. Here, we learned how to fight together”.
Manicel hasn’t forgotten his native country. “It pains me to see what’s happening in Haiti”, he says, “because I have family and friends there. Many want to leave but can’t. That’s why I’m grateful that my children were born in a place where you can work peacefully and watch them grow up without fear”.
Majorie also thinks about the future and the young Haitians who grew up in Suriname. “Many of them no longer want to work in agriculture because they think that farm work is only for people who haven’t studied”, she says. “I want them to see that it can give them a good life, that working the land is the way ahead for our people”.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
