Looking to Agriculture to Help Rebuild in Haiti

by: borderjumpers

Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 09:38:06 AM EST

A recent article in the New York Times highlights the critical role that agriculture will play in rebuilding Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake of January 2010.

Food security is not a new problem in Haiti, and development organizations such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme, as well as nongovernmental organizations like Heifer International and Oxfam, have been forced to halt food programs in the country as these groups themselves attempt to recover from the disaster.

Before the quake, FAO alone was implementing 23 food and agriculture projects in Haiti, hoping to improve access to food in the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Prior to the disaster, an estimated 46 percent of Haiti's population was undernourished, and chronic malnutrition affected 24 percent of children under five.

Right now the most urgent need is to get food and water to millions of people in the capital city of Port au Prince and elsewhere in Haiti. But as the country looks to the future, the need for sustainable sources of food, such as those we are learning about in sub-Saharan Africa, is more important than ever.

Change policy at home, before the next Haiti

by: Josh Tulkin

Mon Jan 25, 2010 at 15:22:45 PM EST

Weeks after the disaster struck in Haiti, relief efforts are just beginning to touch the surface of the deep challenges for an already struggling country.   As the efforts continue, domestic organizations are renewing calls for relief funds: in the Jewish community American Jewish World Service has lead the way with an impressive fundraising effort and on-the-ground support.  However, these initiatives are facing a multitude of challenges, not the least of which is Haiti’s own ailing public infrastructure, which is limiting how quickly aid can reach those in need.

As efforts redouble, it’s critical we also look beyond aid and examine the impact of US policy on Haitians in the US and in Haiti, and then do our part to push for change.  First and foremost is a question of immigration reform.

INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence Statement on What We Can Do

by: Mae Singerman

Wed Jan 20, 2010 at 16:40:03 PM EST

I shortened this statement which was released today by INCITE.

From INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence:

How can we intentionally support the long term sustainability and self determination of the Haitian people? When crises of this magnitude occur, we all understandably want to act quickly, but we must also figure out how to act thoughtfully in our efforts to develop a comprehensive, sustainable, and accountable transnational radical feminist response….

…We urge INCITE! members/chapters/affiliates and the broader social justice community to:

Earthquake in Haiti and Immigration Reform

by: Mae Singerman

Wed Jan 13, 2010 at 13:58:33 PM EST

Growing up and living in Miami, many of my neighbors, friends and co-workers were Haitian. Many of these Haitians are undocumented and are working very low wage jobs to support their families in the US, meanwhile sending money to family in Haiti.

According to the Huffington Post: “Remittances, the money Haitians living abroad manage to send to Haiti, make up a crucial part of the small country's economy. At least 20 percent of their Gross Domestic Product comes from remittances, mostly from Haitians living in the United States, according to statistics from the International Monetary Fund..”

I am thankful that thousands of US residents and the US government will donate money to help Haiti in the short-term. However, I also suspect that the powers that be know that a huge disaster in Haiti is a also a huge immigration issue in the US. This disaster, along with those that are marching and hunger striking for immigration reform, remind us that the US must move on fair immigration policy now.

Specifically, the Obama administration should grant Temporary Protective Status (TPS) to the 30,000 Haitians living in the US who have deportation orders. TPS is a temporary immigration status granted to individuals residing in the US who are temporarily unable to safely return to their home country because of armed conflict, environmental disaster or extraordinary conditions.

Broadly, the US should support undocumented  Haitians (and all immigrants) living in the US by allowing them to work legally, attend college, drive and continue to send remittances which will be desperately needed to rebuild Haiti in the long-term.
This earthquake, the marchers and hunger strikers remind us that immigration reform is an urgent, life-threatening matter.