Rebuilding Haiti's Farming Sector

In the immediate aftermath of the devastating earthquake that ravaged Haiti just a week ago, the primary need will be to provide those affected by the disaster with the basic supplies they need to survive -- namely, access to food, water, shelter and medical care.  At this point, there is nothing more important than securing the humanitarian aid that is needed to help the island nation begin to recover.

But after these immediate needs are met, we will have to confront difficult questions about how to rebuild a nation that was in dire straits even before the earthquake.

One of the most important priorities in helping to improve conditions in the grossly-impoverished nation should be to help Haitians bring their farming sector into the 21st century and allow the country to become more food sovereign, as it used to be.

Prior to 1950, Haiti produced nearly 80 percent of the food consumed in the country.  However, as the global food economy has developed and nations that are net exporters of food have pushed to eliminate trade tariffs, many developing countries like Haiti have become dependant on imports for the vast majority of their food supply.

As I suspect we'll see more of in the coming weeks and months, this dependence on food grown outside of the country's borders will make it even more difficult to adequately feed the Haitian people now that the already fragile infrastructure in the country has been destroyed.

The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization has already called on the international community to donate $23 million to help support food production throughout Haiti, with a particular emphasis on helping families prepare for the upcoming spring planting season in March.  While this support will be important in the near future, more long-term agricultural assistance in Haiti is needed.

We can look to the work the U.S. military is currently doing with farmers in Afghanistan as a model for what needs to happen in Haiti as well.  In order to help rebuild the farming sector Afghanistan, the U.S. has been sending agribusiness units to the country for about two years to train farmers how to grow crops more efficiently in order to boost food production.

Since Haiti has many ecological barriers to increasing food production, it will be essential that the nation's farmers have access to current information and technologies that can be provided by experts from the U.S.

Not only can a renewed focus on agriculture provide jobs to many poor and unemployed Haitians, it can help the nation be more prepared if a natural disaster like this occurs again.

Photo credit: treesftf