Following the passage of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti on October 4, 2016 and emergency relief interventions, aid is now moving towards a sustainable relaunch of agriculture in the South of Haiti, to which will contribute the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Union through the SECAL Food Security Program.

This € 16.2 million program already supported Southern producers by supporting the maize, beans sectors and the rehabilitation of irrigation systems. The Ministry of Agriculture in Haiti, in collaboration with AFD and the European Union, decided to reorient the actions of this Program to meet the urgent needs of farmers.

As of November 2016, local bean seed, plowing and inputs were subsidized and the cleaning of channels assured by the use of local irrigation associations. These actions have helped to support the recovery of the populations but also to ensure the proper functioning of the irrigation canals for the winter campaign.

After this "emergency" phase, the year 2017 marks the beginning of a revival of the agricultural sector in the South. The SECAL program, with an additional € 1 million from AFD and € 4 million from the European Union delegation, plans to intervene in key sectors in the South Department until May 2019 .

These additional funds will not only allow continued support for two crop years with 2,000 farmers, but will also invest in local maize processing and distribute small ruminants (sheep, goats, swine) to the most affected households .

In parallel, arrangements will be made to ensure the protection of canals faced the bank erosion which will at the same time allow the use of local labor. Finally, irrigation associations will continue to be strengthened, a prerequisite for the autonomous peasant management of irrigation systems.

HL/ HaitiLibre