U.S. aid and trade policies characterized as disastrous to Haiti

Many people might view the established custom of the United States to provide food aid to Haiti as a beneficent act to a struggling country; a selfless act that operates at a loss to the American taxpayer. But the truth is U.S. aid and trade policies may well do more for American farmers than for the average Haitian. In fact, U.S. aid, as Haiti has been experiencing it for the past few years, has done the country, its agricultural sector and its citizens, more harm than good.

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Somewhere between 50% and 60% of the population of Haiti rely on their own small farms for subsistence. The practices and policies attached to U.S. Aid food operate in such a way that the livelihoods of farmers and subsequently the Haitian Agricultural Sector are negatively affected. Today, Haiti imports no less than 50% of the food it consumes, making itself America's second largest importer of rice. This problem was detailed in a study done in 2006 that showed that nearly 100,000 people were negatively impacted by the lowering of Haitian chicken, rice and sugar tariffs.

The saturation of the practice into the general running of the country has also led to food aid monetization, a practice that results in wastefulness while also hurting the countries farmers. As the government aims to ramp up the agricultural sector, it must be taken into consideration that the increase in the importation of food directly correlates to a decrease in local production. Former United States President Bill Clinton admitted that, while the drop in the tariff, set in by his administration, did well for American farmers, it was a 'mistake' that did not work for Haiti.

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Vamel Baron says...

We have to make agriculture our main priority and go a little bit further national if we have

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