Program to rebuild Haitian agricultural sector making headway
San Jose, February 16, 2010 (IICA). The government program aimed at rebuilding the agricultural sector of Haiti, prepared in the wake of earthquake of 12 January, is making headway thanks to a visit to Rome by Minister of Agriculture of Haiti, Joanas Gue; the Minister of Agriculture of the Dominican Republic, Salvador Jimenez; the Director General of IICA, Victor M. Villalobos; and the IICA Representative in Haiti, Alfredo Mena, on February 11-12.
Minister Gue then traveled to Canada, a country that has long been supporting Haiti.
Upon his return to Costa Rica, site of the headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Director General Villalobos explained that the visit to the Italian capital was a strategic step in the efforts of the Minister of Agriculture of Haiti to seek financing for the projects included in the program prepared by his ministry.
Rome, he explained, is the center of operations for many international organizations which will play a key role in implementing the Program to Provide Emergency Support for Food Production in Haiti, in Response to the Hurricanes of the Summer of 2008 and the Earthquake of January 12, 2010, and for the Integration of Displaced Populations.
This program calls for immediate actions in response to the emergency, such as preparing for spring planting, which begins next month, but focuses on medium- and long-term initiatives aimed at improving food security, generating employment in rural areas and settling 1.5 people who fled flattened cities for the already impoverished countryside.
IICA and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) of Haiti in preparing a document that spelled out the details of the program. In addition, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has also been working closely with the MARNDR.
Concrete results
The opportunity to present the program to the highest authorities of FAO, FIDA and the World Food Programme (WFP) was one of the most important results of the meeting in Rome and motivated various agencies to participate in the projects to rebuild agriculture in Haiti.
For example, in the coming days, IICA will sign an agreement calling for it to administer a FIDA donation of US$2.5 million during the immediate emergency period, calculated to last 18 months. These resources will be used to implement food security plans, create jobs in rural areas and provide training for producer associations in the Department of Nippes, in western Haiti.
Also in Rome, in a meeting in which delegates from the United States and Brazil took part, these two nations pledged to provide Minister Gue with US$500,000 in financing for the preparation of land prior to the planting cycle which begins in March. Both governments have asked IICA to assume responsibility for implementing the corresponding actions under an agreement to be signed soon.
The WFP will also provide support for the next planting season, supplying seeds and fertilizer that will be delivered to different Departments of the island.
The subject of purchasing local products was discussed thoroughly because, for the Haitian government, it is fundamental to prevent food aid from affecting the marketing of domestic production. To this end, it has encouraged the NGOs, the WFP and cooperation agencies to purchase locally grown produce and to sign contracts with farmers for its distribution.
In this regard, IICA has already signed an agreement with the government of Brazil to establish a pilot project in the Department of Nippes to purchase locally grown produce, which will later be expanded to cover the entire island.
Minister Gue will travel to Canada on February 17 to participate in a number of meetings with representatives of governments and cooperation agencies both in Ottawa and Montreal. Canada is long-standing partner of the Ministry of Agriculture and is executing important cooperation projects there, with technical support from IICA.
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