The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced a $15 million grant, which will support policy, legal and institutional reforms to benefit Haiti’s agricultural sector, top boost agricultural productivity and rural incomes. Farming plays a fundamental role in the Haitian economy, accounting for around half of the country’s jobs and almost one quarter of national income.

The new grant is the second in a series of programmatic operations that provide the Haitian government budget support as some of its key agencies address constraints affecting agriculture. These fast-disbursing grants complement other larger, multi-year agriculture investment projects financed by the IDB and other donors in Haiti.

Specifically, the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) and the Inter-Ministerial Land Use Committee (CIAT) are taking steps to modernize animal and plant health services, increase farmers’ access to agricultural innovations, expand access to irrigation, reduce crop damage caused by floods, and improve land management services.

As one of Haiti’s leading donors, the IDB is currently financing investment projects in the agriculture sector totaling more than $200 million, including crop intensification, irrigation, rural value chains, farming technology transfers, land tenure clarification and watershed management.

HL/ HaitiLibre