AMERICA/HAITI - Collaboration between FAO and CARE for a cash-for-work program in Leogane

Leogane (Agenzia Fides) – Over a month after the devastating earthquake which hit Haiti on 12 January, the FAO and the international humanitarian organization CARE have sounded the alarm of an impending food crisis in the country. According to FAO sources in Haiti, the majority of IDPs from the capital Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas affected, particularly in Artibonite and Grand'Anse, have moved into rural areas. The main planting season, which covers over 60% of annual agricultural production will begin in less than two weeks, but farmers have no money to buy seeds for next season and commodity prices have already risen by 10% compared to before the earthquake. An immediate solution might come from programs for cash-for-work in agriculture. The FAO has launched a cleaning up of irrigation channels in the area of Leogane and CARE in the next few days will work to increase its services from 600 to 4,000 people. As part of the rehabilitation phase, CARE aims at supporting grassroots organizations in activities such as water management, product marketing, and building.
These activities will contribute directly to the Special Emergency Program and to support food production, integration of displaced persons, and prevention of hurricanes, launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development of Haiti, in response to the earthquake of 12 January. The Program is supported by the FAO and the Inter-American Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA). As the lead agency of the UN organizations involved in agriculture in Haiti, the FAO will coordinate all the activities of international and national organizations in this field. Part of its job is to ensure that donors and agencies work under the directives of the Haitian Government . The organization CARE is already present in Leogane, an agricultural town west of Port-au-Prince, 80% destroyed by the quake, where it provides shelters, emergency supplies, water and sanitation facilities, and support for mothers and for pregnant women. FAO supports small farmers and is distributing quality seeds and agricultural tools. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 20/2/2010)