Thursday, international agency Oxfam and the European Union have conducted with their local partners, to the launch of the Improved Food Security Project in the Artibonite Valley (PASAVA), an initiative of €2,22 million.

Implemented in 8 communes in the Artibonite Valley, the program will reach 63,000 families living in majority of the local production, through among other actions to improve the quality and increase the quantity of agricultural commodities produced, to guarantee greater access for women and children to a balanced nutrition and basic health services.

This action is part of a food security program implemented in partnership with the Government of Haiti to support the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Several major players in the agricultural development of the Artibonite Valley are associated with, including small rice producers, peasant farmers and seven cooperatives and associations involved in livestock activities in the region as well as all stakeholders in this project, that will also allow to strengthen the capacity of production and processing of small farms.

"[...] By building the capacity of farmers, Oxfam ensures that they can contribute on the one hand to increase the food supply in the market, and secondly to the growth and stabilization of their income. Also thanks to greater access to sustainable livelihoods, these small farmers will contribute to the improvement effectively of the food security in the Artibonite Valley," explained Vincent Maurepas Jeudy, Associate Director of Oxfam in Haiti.

The Ambassador of the European Union in Haiti, Javier Nino Perez declared "This project illustrates concretely the efforts of the European Union to strengthen food security in Haiti. Ensure that food is available in sufficient quantities and that people have an effective access constitutes a humanitarian and development issue of primary importance. This implies in particular the strengthening of productivity and skills of local producers [...] The Artibonite is one of the regions of the country whose agricultural potential is enormous. For this reason this area is a priority in the implementation of our strategy for food security."

Learn more about the PASAVA :

Improved Food Security Project in the Artibonite Valley (PASAVA) is funded by the European Union through the Office of the National Authorising Officer of the European Development Fund (FED) and will be implemented over a period 30 months by Oxfam in partnership with local organizations including the Network of Cooperative Associations for Agricultural Production in Lower Artibonite (RACPABA) and the Haitian Association for the Promotion of Autonomous Development (Prodeva).

HL/ HaitiLibre