IICA and USDA agree to further Agricultural Development in Haiti
Washington, DC, October 21, 2010 –The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) signed a two year Agreement to promote capacity building for sustainable agriculture in Haiti. The general objectives of the US$250,000 Agreement aims to strengthen capacities and links between professionals of the public and private sectors by helping them to stay abreast of current best agricultural practices in support of Haitian agriculture. Specifically, the initiative is expected to strengthen technical capacities among staff from the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) and national non-governmental (NGO’s) in areas of key importance in agriculture; to increase cooperation between MARNDR employees and NGO officials working directly with small-holder producer and; to design a regional technical assistance and training program for MARNDR and selected private sector participants.
According to David C. Hatch, IICA Representative in the US, the collaboration is timely. He said, “Supporting the agriculture sector in Haiti is critical to ensuring food security in the short term and long term for the people of Haiti.” He continued, “We are pleased to strengthen our technical relationship with USDA, particularly in Haiti and we look forward to executing more projects with them in the future.”
FAS Administrator, John Brewer endorsed the initiative. He said, “FAS is confident that these project activities will further support and promote the development of a viable and sustainable agriculture system in Haiti which will ultimately benefit all involved.” “This Agreement is testament to the importance and need for strengthened cooperation among international agencies,” he added.
The IICA Office in the United States will be responsible for coordination and facilitation of the Agreement on behalf of IICA.
ABOUT IICA
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture is the specialized agency for agriculture and the rural milieu of the Inter-American System, whose purpose is to provide innovative technical cooperation to the Member States, with a view to achieving their sustainable development in aid of the peoples of the Americas.
For additional information on IICA, please visit http://www.iica.int/usa or http://www.iica.int
Additional information - alondon@iicawash.org