Why have small Dominican farmers often sold handicrafts to supplement their incomes?

Small-scale farmers in the Dominican Republic often sell handicrafts to supplement their incomes because they operate at a subsistence level, meaning they struggle to earn a sufficient living solely from the soil.1

To bridge this economic gap, these farmers produce and sell items such as:
* Baskets1
* Pottery1
* Rocking chairs1
* Straw hats1

These goods are typically sold to middlemen who market them in towns, or they are sold directly by the farmers along roads and highways. This practice is a necessary response to the financial challenges faced by many in the lower-income segment of the population, where agricultural work alone often fails to provide a stable livelihood.12