United Nations Radio

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Wednesday stressed the urgent need to address agriculture in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti.

Haitian farmer

The agency cautions against putting off addressing agriculture with the planting season beginning in March. Sixty per cent of Haiti's annual agricultural production depends on that season.

FAO's Acting Representative in Haiti, Alexander Jones, says in the meantime, the agency is working to help an estimated one million homeless people living in informal camp sites in and around Port au-Prince.

"We are looking at setting up urban garden programmes that will help people produce green vegetables especially for nutritional importance and also for just supporting their livelihoods in a situation where they are going to be largely dependent on cereal food aid. The government has very clearly said that they would like to see a development of rural areas that this is actually under some circumstances an opportunity because Port-au-Prince has far too long been a congested centre for population."

Alexander Jones says finding better livelihoods in rural areas can provide a long-term solution to many social problems in Haiti.

He says people are being encouraged not to see the migration from the cities as a temporary movement but as part of a longer term trend. FAO needs to scale up its efforts to support people to find sustainable livelihoods in rural areas.

Diane Bailey, United Nations
Duration: 1'23"