United Nations Radio

Communities in Haiti suffering severe food insecurity are to be assisted by a US$ 10 million package which will quickly boost the country's battered agriculture sector.

The funds come at a time when Haiti is facing the double challenge of recovering from recent hurricanes which the government estimates have caused at least US$500 million in losses, and feeding its people, many of whom were facing food shortages even before the storms struck.

The aim of the agricultural rescue package is to have a quick impact on local production, increasing the availability of basic food products in the markets, and strengthen food security in the population at large.

The assistance will boost agricultural production in the current and coming 2008-2009 agricultural season by supporting hundreds of thousands of small farmers and their families, who have been gravely affected by the increase of food prices.

In Haiti, small farmers make up 80 per cent of the agricultural workforce and many of them are facing severe under-nourishment.

The funding is being provided by the International Fund for Agricultural development (IFAD) and implemented through the Food and Agriculture Organization's Initiative on Soaring Food Prices.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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