Haiti's Agriculture Minister Calls for Resilient Farming to Boost Food Security

Haiti's Minister of Agriculture, Marcelin Aubourg, advocated on Thursday, October 22, 2026, for a more productive and sustainable agricultural sector capable of feeding the Haitian people and withstanding economic, climatic and security crises, according to haitilibre.com. He spoke during the Regional Dialogue on Public Policy for Agriculture and Rural Development, organized in Panama by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) under the theme "Building Productive and Resilient Agri-Food Systems."

Aubourg said strengthening domestic production should be a cornerstone of national agricultural policy. While emergency responses remain essential for vulnerable populations, he said, they must be coupled with long-term investments to bolster productive capacity and gradually reduce reliance on food imports.

The minister emphasized improving farmers' access to quality seeds, equipment, advisory services and production technologies, as well as rehabilitating irrigation infrastructure, better water management and farm modernization. He also stressed crop diversification, soil and water conservation, tailored financing mechanisms, strengthened early-warning systems, and reducing post-harvest losses through improved storage, processing and transport.

Aubourg urged that future IDB support mechanisms prioritize productive investments, the strengthening of agricultural institutions and the resilience of food systems, and that partners align their interventions with national priorities. The challenge now, haitilibre.com reported, lies in translating these guidelines into concrete investments.