21 agronomists and veterinary agents learn artificial insemination on goats in Fonds-des-Blancs

Twenty-one agronomists, agronomy students and veterinary agents have finished a three-week course in artificial insemination, held in Fonds-des-Blancs from October 12 to 30, 2026. The Ministry of Agriculture oversaw the course, according to HaitiLibre, which is the only outlet whose coverage was available for this report.

Who ran the course

The training belongs to the Resilient Agriculture for Food Security Project (PARSA), within its animal production component. A consortium carried it out, made up of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Haitian NGO GIRADEL.

Participants came from three groups: agronomy students from universities around the country, veterinary agents from the departmental agricultural directorates involved in PARSA, and IICA supervisors. Two specialists led the sessions: agronomist Michelet Mascary, who coordinates the consortium, and Ronelson Stinfil, an expert in small ruminant husbandry.

What participants practised

Simulations and technical demonstrations made up the practical side. Wearing the necessary gear and watched over by experienced trainers, participants performed each stage of the procedure on several goats.

Stinfil said the group was taken through animal assessment, estrus synchronization, insemination techniques and health monitoring. They also learned to read ultrasound scans, recognize the substances used for synchronization and operate the equipment the procedures require. Some of these professionals are meant to pass the training on to others.

The course was designed to prepare participants to inseminate animals for livestock farmers. It was also meant to equip them to explain to those farmers what the technique offers, notably for the genetic potential of their herds.

Goals and conditions

With two days of the course remaining, many participants praised the quality of the teaching and said they were leaving better equipped and more confident. PARSA aims to promote artificial insemination in the departments it targets, with a goal of 50 inseminations in each of its intervention areas.

Artificial insemination means placing semen in a female's reproductive tract without natural mating. Results depend on several factors: the availability of equipment, the quality of health monitoring, the technical skill of those performing the procedure, and the support given to farmers.