At the 35th Session of the Board of Governors of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), held in Rome last week, around the theme "Sustainable smallholder agriculture: Feeding the world, protecting the planet" high representatives of international development community and of IFAD, met in Rome with the Haitian Minister of Agriculture, Hébert Docteur, to discuss the success of a program of $3.2 million financed by IFAD [a specialized agency United Nations]

During the 35th Session, the Minister Docteur recalled that "the Haitian government had prepared the National Plan for Food Security and Nutrition 2010-2025, aimed at eradicating hunger in the country. This is a strategy that is consistent with the objectives of a Latin American and Caribbean without hunger. This work includes the priorities of the new Government has benefited from the experience of many experts, including IFAD [...]" addin that "The implementation of this plan requires enormous efforts of both Government institutions and countries friends. The entire Haitian people know they can count on you. [...] This is too much for a small country like Haiti, which seems doomed to implement the policy of the emergency. This policy is not an option. It has its limitations, it is not generating growth.

The time has come to apply a true development policy that responds perfectly to the IFAD mission which is not fundamentally a provider of emergency. We are already being evaluated in the field, with Fund officials, the results of projects implemented during this emergency period. Those who seem interesting will be selected and applied in larger regional programs.

This is one of the strengths that will allow Haiti to develop a sustainable agriculture, innovative, competitive and environmentally friendly. An agriculture who promotes growth, so that would guarantee a decent life to those who choose to live in the countryside."

To date, the Support Programme for Food Security and Employment Generation (PASAC) in rural areas affected by the earthquake in Haiti, with a duration of 18 months, has brought more than a million dollars for rural Haitian communities most affected by the earthquake. 210.000 days of work were created for the rural poor living in the West, Nippes and southern of Haiti. "The project results are very encouraging," said Minister Docteur during the event. "And it is an interesting model because the smallholder farmers participated in the decision-making."

The programme also addressed food security issues in the Haitian countryside, more than one-third of Haitians do not have enough to eat, working with the Ministry of Agriculture and other partners to provide seeds to farmers and to help them plant productive family gardens and community nurseries.

In order to foster market access and improve the productive infrastructure damaged during the quake, the programme also employed Haitians to rehabilitate 14 community-managed irrigation systems, to repair 12.5 kilometers of rural roads and modernize aging agricultural systems including irrigation pumps, mills and processing centers.

The programme, which was coordinated by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and implemented on the ground by two local partners under the general supervision of the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture, will come to a close this March. It was made possible with a $2 million grant from the Swedish government and a $500,000 grant from IFAD.

IFAD is the second-largest funder for agricultural development in Haiti with the PASAC programme comprising just one part of the agency's short-term earthquake response. In April 2010, the IFAD Executive Board set up a $50 million debt relief programme.

Since 1978, IFAD has funded seven projects in Haiti at a total cost of $160 million with $90 million in IFAD funding, directly benefiting more than 150,000 households.

HL/ HaitiLibre