April 1, 2010
Press Release: ACDI/VOCA Commends Donor Communities’ Commitment to Rural Haiti
Group Calls for Systemic Efforts to Build Farmers’ Expertise, Rural Economy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 1, 2010—ACDI/VOCA commends the international donor communities’ promise to commit $5.3 billion in assistance over the next two years to rebuild Haiti after the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake—a significant portion of which would be used to strengthen local governance and Haiti’s rural economies.
“The country is a rural one—more so now as more than half a million Haitians have fled the capital for rural communities,” says Carl Leonard, ACDI/VOCA president. “Haiti’s rural assets will not only help feed her hungry people but also provide the basis of a more vibrant economy.”
Only 40 percent of Haiti’s food is grown domestically, though in rural areas 85 percent of people farm for a living. Food insecurity is widespread, and few farmers can make ends meet without remittances from abroad. As in other poor nations, agriculture has been neglected as both a problem and a solution.
Haiti offers mostly untapped but promising potential for the production of both food and cash crops such as coffee, mango, sisal and citrus, as well as the development of fisheries, essential oils, handicrafts and tourism.
“We know from experience that with proper investments, farm production in Haiti could increase within a year by more than 100 percent—expanding local incomes and food supplies,” Leonard says. In LaVallée de Jacmel, the ACDI/VOCA-Haiti team introduced a hurricane-resistant bean variety that tripled yields in two years. This project has continued post-earthquake alongside new rebuilding efforts.
Based on past hurricanes and now the earthquake, ACDI/VOCA experts are conducting emergency market mapping to understand changes in market dynamics. Such information can—and should—help shape a new rural development and investment strategy.
Rural Investment Priorities
ACDI/VOCA first worked in Haiti in 2006 and has worked for more than 45 years with communities globally to strengthen rural economies. Based on this experience, we know that long-term economic success in Haiti depends on helping smallholder farmers overcome their many constraints and capitalize on equally abundant opportunities.
While the immediate priority is household food security, a market-based approach to agricultural development can enable farmers to lead countrywide economic transformation.
We see the following as critical investments for Haiti’s rural economies:
- Technical assistance from extension at the farm level to capacity building throughout the food system.
- Value chain analysis of critical crop sectors.
- Support for local production of bean, maize, sorghum and rice seeds adapted for Haiti’s growing conditions.
- Support for livestock farming (currently a savings system for small farms).
- Watershed management including the rehabilitation of irrigation systems, the introduction of drip irrigation, reforestation and the production of specialty crops.
- Development of fisheries for local consumption and export (we’ve witnessed the utility of fish aggregation devices and solar ice freezers).
- Feeder roads to move local production to urban markets.
- Improved farming tools and development of local means to produce them.
- Expansion of financial services to benefit agriculture as well as handicraft and other enterprises to stimulate merchandising and tourism.
ACDI/VOCA is a global leader in agricultural development, dedicated to poverty alleviation and broad-based economic growth. With more than 45 years of experience, we currently work in more than 40 countries to improve agricultural productivity and build developing economies using our signature value chain approach.
