Video link connects Haitian Farmers with U.S. Agriculture Experts.BAS BOEN, HAITI - The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), kicked-off Haiti's National Agriculture and Labor Day on May 1 by inaugurating a cutting-edge agricultural training center.
The Sustainable Rural Development Center will help modernize Haiti's agricultural sector by training farmers to use innovative agriculture techniques that will increase crop yields and boost incomes. The five-hectare campus features a training center, warehouse, dormitory, three laboratories and a distance-learning facility.
The dormitory will allow farmers from across the country, including the northern region, to benefit from the resources physically located at the Center, and an online video link with the University of Florida will connect them to the expertise of U.S. agronomists.
Haitian farmers will learn how to analyze soil, identify pests and diagnose diseases that hamper crop production. They will also learn to use tools and techniques like drip irrigation and fertilizer briquettes that reduce costs and boost yields.
Agriculture is central to the Haitian economy, generating nearly 25 percent of gross domestic product and employing more than 60 percent of the population, but declining crop production has plagued Haiti for the past 50 years. The Government of Haiti identified agriculture as a key sector to create jobs and boost the economy. The U.S. government responded by designating agriculture as one of the four areas targeted for earthquake reconstruction along with health, governance and infrastructure.
Initially, public and private sector partners will manage the new center, including: USAID, the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture, the National School of Agronomy, local farmer associations, and representatives from Haitian agribusinesses. In the next few years, the U.S. government will transfer full management responsibilities to Haitian institutions.
"Our support will help train thousands of farmers over the next few years," said USAID/Haiti Mission Director Carleene Dei. "Once the center is running smoothly, Haitian institutions will possess the knowledge and experience to manage the center without our assistance."
The Sustainable Rural Development Center is one of eight agricultural training centers built with U.S. government funding in Haiti. The facilities are part of President Obama's global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future, which is working to reduce global hunger and poverty by supporting country-led plans for agricultural development.
Related
photo galleryVideo of another USAID effort:
Helping Haiti's Youth Plant Forests of the Future On May 10, the House passed a bill directing the administration to report on the progress of its relief effort in Haiti:
Barbara Lee Leads House Passage of Legislation to Ensure Support for Victims of Devastating Earthquakes in HaitiWashington, DC – Earlier today, Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) led House passage of HR 1016, the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act. This legislation directs the government to report on the status of humanitarian, reconstruction, and development efforts in the aftermath of the tragic January earthquake in Haiti. Representative Lee introduced this bill earlier this year, and it has 22 co-sponsors in the House.
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“Through the bill on the floor today, we are provided with an opportunity to assess the progress that we have made, the extraordinary challenges that remain, and the areas in which improvement is greatly needed.
“I traveled to Haiti immediately following the earthquake, and again in November during Haiti’s recent elections, and I saw firsthand the real progress that has been made. The cholera outbreak – an ongoing and devastating setback – for example, revealed the ramped up capacity of Haiti's national laboratory. The lab was able to identify the cholera strain very rapidly, improving our ability to respond to the outbreak – a feat that would have been impossible just a year earlier.
“However, significant improvements remain desperately needed. The unprecedented relief effort has given way to a sluggish (at best) reconstruction effort. Part of this pace can be attributed to the sheer magnitude of the problems Haiti faces, as well as Haiti's legal and bureaucratic hurdles including the lack of an adequate land tenure policy. Without a doubt, however, part of the blame rests with the lack of urgency on the part of the international community.
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The bill was sent to the Senate:
Assessing Progress in Haiti Act (PDF)
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