The team of the NGO Food For The Poor Haiti dispatched in Grande Anse to make an inventory including at the level of agriculture and livestock production, could only fly over the northern coast of the department due to the scarcity of fuel and for the return landed to Pestel. The observations and recommendations of this partial mission are :

The towns and villages along the coast are completely devastated;

The animal and plant production have been completely devastated;

Mangroves have lost their green color as if they had been burned. If they die, it will be the death of an entire ecosystem resulting in a total loss of fish reproduction;

Massive marine erosion, the rivers continue to silt the seabed deserted by rock fish;

The Saturday market was held in Pestel with a notable absence of crops and cereals and a sharp increase in prices;

All fishing villages of Food for the Poor were destroyed and need to be completely rebuilt and re-equipped.

Recommendations :

Immediate pooling of land which would allow one lot of farm work (plowing and harrowing) and plant short cycle crops 2 1/2 months, 3 months: corn, vegetable growing: calalou, tomato, pepper cabbage and legumes such as black beans, which regenerate the soil by attracting atmospheric nitrogen;

Must be redone the banana plantations for in 8 months we have a better ground cover, the ability to feed the population and to sell the surplus for the recapitalization of the planters;

Rebuild a nursery of fruit trees (mango, coconut, avocado, real trees) and establish large community orchards.

Food for the Poor will have to redeploy new FAD (Fish Aggregating Devices);

For animal production, the NGO suggests choosing 2 or 3 places for poultry production (broilers and eggs), other locations for goat Community production, beef and pork;

The State will have to import materials and agricultural equipment to reequip production units;

The State will have to import good quality seed (90% germination rate) and distributed the mfor free to farmers;

The food shortage will last at least 6 months, because in addition to current losses, we will have 3 months of drought from January to March. The State will have to organize an operation "punch" and import quantities of food sufficient to compensate for the lack of food, distribute it in a program "Food for Production" during which the population will have for example to cleaning out irrigation canals, plowing, harrowing, weeding and tending gardens pooled.

The State should move the communities located on different waterfronts and rebuilding them in the interior to avoid a similar situation in the future.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18878-haiti-humanitarian-food-for-the-poor-haiti-on-all-fronts.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18817-haiti-humanitarian-thank-you-food-for-the-poor.html

HL/ HaitiLibre