United Nations Radio

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, has started clearing out irrigation canals in and around the epicenter of the earthquake in Haiti.

FAO helps clear canals

The agency has provided hand tools and a small payment to 600 workers to complete the task. The farmers' organizations in the rural areas near Léogâne will keep the tools.

FAO says the agricultural area around the Haitian farming town was almost completely destroyed. Earthquake debris and subsequent landslides had blocked canals, threatening crops that were just weeks away from being ready to harvest.

Alexander Jones, FAO's Emergencies Response Manager in Haiti says the first priority is to provide life-saving aid to the earthquake survivors.

"At the same time, though, we feel it's very urgent to start addressing problems in the agricultural sector because of the timing involved with the cropping season. We cannot afford to put these issues off, because the main planting season is March and 60% of Haiti's annual agricultural production depends on that planting season."

Mr. Jones says FAO is planning to support the Haitian government in the long-term to provide sustainable livelihoods for people in the rural areas and ease the congestion in the capital Port-au-Prince.

Bissera Kostova, United Nations.

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