Governance

Even before the hurricanes, Haiti was in emergency mode.  The rising costs of food and fuel prompted riots and former members of the Haitian military had re-emerged in the north.  According to Haitian Agriculture Minister Joanas Gue, the agricultural system has been destroyed.  In many parts of the country, staple crops such as rice, corn, plantains, and yams were lost. The poorest farmers need assistance to purchase the seeds, tools, fertilizers and agricultural inputs that will ensure the success of the next harvest.  Until then, food security is tenuous. 

Natural disasters are a fact of life in Haiti, both in terms of the inevitable tropical storms/hurricanes and the floods/ mudslides left in their wake, largely as a result of the unabated deforestation.  Gustav resulted in 22 deaths, but certainly could have been worse.  While Haiti can't stop the storms, it is possible to mitigate the damage that they cause.  Preparedness is key. Topix carried a Scoop Media World article on the efforts of the international community to help Haiti better prepare for and respond to natural disasters. 

Disagreements among parliamentarians and political parties over who will serve in the new government have prevented Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis from presenting a new Cabinet and policy priorities (one of which is food security) on Tuesday as scheduled.  As politicians bicker, the people struggle.  The Miami Herald notes that school starts on September 1st and the fees will be out of reach for many.  According to the USAID Famine Early Warning System (FEWS-NET),  food security conditions are likely to deteroriate beginning in October due to the high prices of staple food crops, hurricanes, civil unrest, and high transportation costs.  Having been four months without a functional government, it is long past time to make a deal and get to work.    

After four months of debate, the Haitian Senate finally ratified a Prime Minister. Michèle Pierre-Louis becomes only the second female in Haitian history to hold the post.  This delay has had a high cost in the form of delayed infrastructure projects, delayed trade deals, and underminded confidence as to whether the country is ready to open a new chapter on governance.  The Miami Herald notes under Haiti's constitution, Pierre-Louis must next present a governance plan and cabinet selections to parliament.  We hope food security features prominently in the proposed plan - her tenure will largely be evaluated on whether she can accomplish the delicate balancing act of putting in place short term measures while working on long term solutions.

Like the United States, Haiti has a military tradition.  Both countries won freedom through warcraft.  Sadly, the Haitian military went on to kill far more Haitians than all attacking forces combined.  The Haitian military degraded into an engine for corruption, human rights abuses, and coup after coup. Jean Bertrand Aristide disbanded the military in 1995 but they remain a threat as Jonathan Katz reminds us in the Miami Herald.  

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the development agency of the American government and a major bilateral donor to Haiti.  USG support to Haiti is considerable - In Fiscal Year (FY) 2007, USAID provided 245 million dollars in foreign assistance to Haiti, 279 million in FY 2008 and is scheduled to provide 245 million in FY 2009.  The goal of this support can be summarized in one word - stability. The point of this blog is not to evaluate these programs but to point out what USAID is doing, where, and to highlight some useful resources on the USAID/Haiti website.

Maybe I should call this blog the Fuel Security update instead.  The big news this past week was the elimination of the government gasoline subsidy which drove fuel prices up to over six dollars a gallon.  With limited funds and infinite needs, the government decided to focus its attention on agriculture and other programs to fight poverty.  However, transporting food and other commodities (or oneself if seeking health care) is less affordable now and out of reach for many. The tap-taps are all charging more. Also, the price hike is eating into the budgets of the international and non-governmental organizations which are active throughout the country.  More money on fuel means less for programs.

Strike two. Preval’s second nominee for the position of Prime Minister was rejected.  While food insecurity continues, politicians squabble.  I have a modest proposal - Give the politicians concerned one meal a day until a Prime Minister has been selected and a new goverment can be formed.  This is, after all, the reality for many in Haiti.  I suspect officials would work out a solution rather quickly.

Attached is the Haitian Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.  Within it, the Haitian Government has set priorities and identified steps that need to be taken to make progress against poverty. This document provides the framework that allows international partners to calibrate their programming in order to synchronize their efforts with the government.  Any plan worth its weight in paper must be ambitious, flexible, and achievable.  Let's take a look at the document and see if it holds up.

Below is an update concerning food security in Haiti.  First though, I read  an interesting article in the Miami Herald about the critical role of coordination in Haiti relief efforts.  In fact, it notes that an uncoordinated flow of aid can cause harm, particular in a setting like Haiti where food is plentiful on store shelves but most people can't afford it because of high unemployment and global price hikes.  The best way to help Haiti right now is to contribute to both the organizations that can make a difference now and those that can help Haiti become self-reliant over the long-term.