by Dr Joseph E. Edmunds:


The outpouring of assistance to Haiti from many sources after the recent earthquake is commendable, but the long term sustainable development of that country must, now more than ever, receive immediate accelerated attention.

Fundamental to this is an assessment of land use as it relates to land capability in well defined development sectors - agriculture, tourism, infrastructural development, government and institution building, housing and hospitals, schools, manufacturing facilities, and other areas which must become part of a National Plan for Reconstruction.

If we do not look at the long term coordinated “big picture”, Haiti will continue to be, as in the past, a recipient of a variety of small projects and programs taking it into the immediate past rather than into the future.

The need to re-settle a large part of the population who lost their dwellings in and around the capital creates a unique opportunity to use investments in agriculture as a re-settlement anchor and source of revenue for this population.

If not already contemplated and put into action, there is need for an immediate categorization of regions in the country into productive agricultural zones based upon soil types, topography, water resources, roads and ports.

Soil types need to be assessed as regards nutrient status and fertilizer needs to support different crops for the local, regional, and international markets, as well as animal production for the same.

Advances in agricultural technologies must be made available to Haiti e.g. where there is little water, water conservation and drip irrigation systems used in other countries must be transferred and adapted for use in Haiti as well as appropriate technologies related to energy for use in rural areas.

These technologies would be of great assistance in rebuilding the rural areas and reduce migration to the capital.

Some time ago at the request of the National Coalition on Caribbean Affairs, the author wrote a paper entitled “Caribbean Food Security Attainable with a Musa spp Diversification Program with Special Reference to Haiti”.

In the light of the recent earthquake, some consideration should be given to recommendations presented. In this context, using advanced technologies in tissue culture techniques, thousands of Musa spp plantlets (bananas and plantains) could be produced for Haiti, from in-country nurseries and in the Caribbean countries where there is experience in this technology.

As stated in the paper on this subject, these plants as well as imported planting material can be used as nurse crops in the establishment of permanent fruit trees, and in well defined cropping systems programs including in reforestation programs. Above all, this would contribute to the establishment of a sustainable rural population with a well defined plant and animal production program.

This deliberate exercise for agricultural development based on land capability should be carried out as it relates to decentralization of other development sectors e.g. tourism development and the manufacturing sectors with well structured investment promotion agencies in developed countries.

This is also an opportunity to mobilize the Haitian Diaspora presently contributing to the developments of more developed countries. It should become the policy of developed countries to employ those Haitians to serve in their country of birth in what can be labeled a Reciprocal Assistance Program (RAP).

This concept was presented before by the writer at a meeting at the Organization of American States. The time is now ripe for the implementation of RAP with the participation of Caribbean personnel in areas referred to above.

A more detailed multi-national, multi-sector and multi-disciplinary submission must be put in place as part of a sustainable National Plan for the Reconstruction of Haiti, with appropriate funding for the same.

If not, Haiti will continue to wallow in a quagmire of past exploits, poor internal governance of the past, in the face of abject poverty made worse by the earthquake.

February 13, 2010

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