The World Bank has released $9.5 million to provide immediate funding to the Haitian agricultural sector. This support aims to strengthen food security in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The World Bank is working closely with Haitian authorities at both central and local levels as well as with development partners, to help the country cope with the enormous impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic," said Anabela Abreu, Director of World Bank Operations in Haiti adding "The local agricultural sector provides up to 45% of the country's food needs. Preserving agriculture will therefore be essential to mitigate the impact of this crisis, especially for the rural poor."

Explaining that almost 35% of the Haitian population already needed emergency food aid before the crisis. The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to worsen the situation, due to external threats such as the volatility of global financial markets, the decline in migrant remittances and the closure of the border with the Dominican Republic, which will further limit the access to basic food products. At the local level, the problem will be further exacerbated by the social distancing measures put in place to contain the spread of the virus, loss of income and disruption of supply chains.

The funding will be used to secure production for the next two agricultural crops, maintain the purchasing power of the urban and rural poor, and preserve food markets and value chains.

These funds will enable more than 21,500 farmers in the departments of Nippes and the South to finance their inputs and equipment, such as seeds and fertilizers; they will also help with plowing and land preparation. The emergency component (CERC) also includes communication campaigns to promote social distancing and health measures during implementation.

These funds were mobilized within the framework of the Resilient Productive Territories project in Haiti, through the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC). The CERC allow the reallocation of project funds to emergency response activities. This initiative complements the $20 million support for the health response to Covid-19, as part of the "Haiti : Response to Covid-19" project, approved on April 2, 2020.

HL/ HaitiLibre