APSU professor to discuss project with farmers in Haiti

Clarksville, TN – An Austin Peay State University professor will discuss a project he began in Haiti last summer with funding from the University.

Dr. Matthew Kenney, interim director of APSU’s President’s Emerging Leaders Program and associate professor of political science, will present discuss “A New Mocha Model: Coffee and Cocoa as a Path to Development in Haiti” from 3:00pm-4:00pm, Thursday, September 23rd in the Honors Commons building (formerly Memorial Health/Red Barn).

The event is free and open to the public. Coffee, donated by Mag’s Coffee on Riverside Drive, and chocolate will be served.

Kenney’s project focuses on providing logistical and material support to approximately 650 farmers in Tibouk, a small town in northern Haiti. In July, Kenney spent two weeks meeting with coffee and cocoa bean growers in and around this town. Together, they identified key needs and developed a strategy to improve the quality and quantity of their most important cash crops in a cost-effective manner.

Joining him on September 23rd will be Émery Ménard, who lives in Tibouk and is a representative of the growers there.

Kenney, who has applied for external funding to support this initiative, will return to Haiti in October to continue his involvement in this project.

For more information, contact Kenney by telephone, 931-221-6398 or by e-mail at kenneym@apsu.edu.