Smallholder farmers in Haiti are in urgent need of assistance to grow more resistant varieties of plants and develop production systems, such as agroforestry, that are adapted to climate change and can address problems like drought and tropical storms.

Inter Press Service reports that severe deforestation and erosion in Haiti are causing even light rains to result in floods, affecting the country’s already perilous food security situation.

With climate change likely to further impact on the agriculture sector, the challenges of developing sustainable agriculture in Haiti are many. There is a need to train extension workers, carry out land reform, provide access to soft credit, capacity-building for small farmers, grain storage and transport facilities, and secure markets.

Agriculture accounts for a quarter of Haiti’s GDP and 60 per cent of available jobs. An Oxfam report shows that the agricultural sector in Haiti declined by 4 per cent from 2000 to 2010.

Deforestation has been a major cause of land degradation, affecting about two-thirds of Haiti’s arable land. Reforestation and the restoration of soils are a high priority in the country.

The article goes on to look at how the high level of imported food consumed by Haitians has led to a drop in agricultural output and revenue. Experts quoted in the article call for an initial focus in agriculture that increases production and later integrating agroforestry systems that preserve the environment. The challenge lies in integrating such initiatives into state policy.

Read the full story: In Haiti, April Showers Don’t Always Bring Flowers