NEW YORK, CMC –The United Nations Friday urged international donors to fund a US$700 million plan to rebuild Haiti’s critical agricultural sector, the cornerstone of the government’s strategy to get the country back on its feet after the catastrophic 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck on 12 January.
The investment is slated to be spent over the next 18 months on repairing infrastructure, boosting national food production and creating employment for the thousands of people fleeing the Caribbean country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
“With people moving back to the rural areas, growth in Haiti’s agricultural sector is now an urgent priority and the Haitian Government’s plan does a very good job of laying down the immediate priorities,” said Alexander Jones, FAO Emergencies Response Manager in Haiti.
“The food situation in Haiti was already very fragile before the earthquake and Haiti was highly dependent on food imports,” said Jones, with almost 60 per cent of Haitians lived in rural areas before the earthquake struck, and 80 per cent of them surviving on less than US$2 a day.
The Haitian government estimates that some US$32 million is urgently needed for seeds, tools and fertilizers, so that farmers can be ready to begin planting at the start of the spring planting season in March.
Other short-term measures drawn up in the plan include repairing a major sugar refinery, protecting watersheds, steps to ensure reforestation, the reconstruction and reinforcement of collapsed riverbanks and damaged irrigation channels, and the rehabilitation of 600 kilometres of roads.
The government has also recommended purchasing thousands of tons of cereal, pulses and vegetable seeds from domestic markets and abroad, tools and fertilizers, as well as supporting the livestock sector for the next 18 months.
Establishing storage facilities to stock food and grain in preparation for Haiti’s upcoming hurricane season is also a priority after four successive tropical storms devastated Haiti’s agricultural sector in September 2008.
I wonder if the U.N. is planning to use Haiti for a GMO experiment.
There is a possibility that the US govt. was at least partially responsible for that earthquake in Haiti. If you look at the facts (just like 9-11), how plausible is it for a place like Haiti to all of the sudden have an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude and than have it followed up with an aftershock of 6.0?
Why didn’t the earthquakes affect the Dominican Republic?
I question what is really the agenda of the U.N. in terms of “rebuilding” Haiti. If I were Haiti, the first thing that I would do is abolish the U.N. from its soils.
The long term effects of this quake are devastating! In the next 6 months, the World Food Programme says 2 million people will need food assistance to rebuild their lives. If you want to help and learn more about the crisis, go to: http://wfp.org/crisis/haiti or text FRIENDS to 90999 to make a $5 donation.
I am very happy with the US govt for taking that initative and the other countries in rebuilding back haiti ,there for the people of haiti need to stay home to rebuild hteir country do not run away from there .runing away will not solve the problem ,just keep the faith and dont give up god is a good god .
for those in haiti who believe in voodooooooooooooo and evil i say to u STOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP IT CAUSE WAT HAPPEN TO U ALL IS JUST A WARNING SIGN .Dont take me wrong cause wat happen to one can happen to all .but keep the faith and good will see this country through.
This is the way to go to get haiti back on its feet.the haitians need to stay in haiti to rebuild haiti so all needs to be done to create jobs so that the people of haiti will remain in haiti.