Press release No.: IFAD/19/09
Rome, 8 April 2009 - It's harvest time for Haitian farmers, many of whose plots and crops were washed away by four devastating hurricanes that struck the country last year.
"The flood washed away everything we owned; the water went inside our home and left us with nothing" Lita Renaudin told IFAD officials.
To kick start local food production and ensure a precious planting season was not lost, IFAD last October provided US$10 million for a programme to supply 240,000 small farmers with a package of vegetable and cereal seeds, sweet potato and banana plants and other inputs.
Now some of those seeds are bearing fruit.
"I was given a package of seeds and today, even though my home has not been rebuilt yet, my bean crop is ready and I can put some food on the table for my family".
Lita is among tens of thousands of farmers that were left without a means to earn a living, in a country that imports more than half the food it consumes and where food price hikes last year resulted in widespread hunger, economic crisis and social and political unrest.
Agriculture in Haiti, one of the world's poorest countries with 50 per cent of its population living on less that US$1 a day, is among the least productive in the world.
At the upcoming donor conference in Washington, on 14 April, IFAD will emphasize the relevance of rural and agricultural development for poverty reduction and increased food security in Haiti.
"Lita's story speaks for many, and much still needs to be done if Haiti is to become food secure and to realise its potential" said Anna Pietikainen, IFAD´s Country Programme Manager for the country. "Without major investments in agriculture, Haiti will remain vulnerable and millions more will suffer the next time disaster strikes."
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) works with poor rural people to enable them to increase their incomes, build their livelihoods and have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. Since 1978, IFAD has invested over US$11 billion in grants and low-interest loans, helping 340 million people in developing countries worldwide. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized UN agency based in Rome - the UN's food and agricultural hub. It is a unique partnership of 165 members from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), other developing countries and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Contact information
Farhana Haque-Rahman
Chief, Media Relations, Special Events and Programmes
Tel: +390654592485
f.haquerahman@ifad.org
Jessica Thomas
j.thomas@ifad.org