No, not another intern scandal....in early march Bill Clinton testified before the US Congress about the role his former administration's agricultural policies that protected US farmers had in undermining the Haitian agricultural sector.
"It may have been good for some of my farmers in Arkansas, but it has not worked. It was a mistake, I had to live everyday with the consequences of the loss of capacity to produce a rice crop in Haiti to feed those people because of what I did; nobody else."
Economic policies tied to IMF and other global aid in the 1980s and 90s forced Haiti to remove import tariffs on rice coming in from the United States and other global producers. These global producers had their own protective import tariffs and offered subsides to their farmers to produce more than their national markets needed - making lots of low cost rice available for export. The result - in Haitian street markets imported rice costs about half of what locally grown rice costs. Even though many people prefer the local rice's flavor and texture, people generally buy what is cheaper. Haitian farmers can not sell enough Haitian rice to fund their own production and so production falls further -raising the price of Haitian rice even higher. According to this AP article, 80% of rice consumed in Haiti is imported from the United States - Haiti's current production can only meet 50% of national consumption.
Out of trajedy can come opportunity and one of the most exciting things about the current talk around Haiti's earthquake recovery funding is the need to reinvest in local agriculture. In encourage you to check out this AP article by long-time Haiti correspondent Jonathon Katz who interviews some of the key UN players in the reconstruction effort.
That said, it's frustrating that the voices cited are the voices of foreigners. Many Haitian organizations have been tirelessly campaigning for the renewal of Haitian agriculture over the past decades. Their voices are rarely heard - even now when their message is more timely than ever. Check out this video by Kore Prodiksyon Lokal (Support Local Production)
Monday, March 22, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Back on the bike
It's been more than 2 years since I've ridden a bike - I attribute that to living in mountainous and congested Port au Prince but I do have some hardcore biking friends who brave the Haitian hills for their love of cycling. Ithaca is hilly enough to intimidate a Midwesterner - but definitely more bike friendly than my last place of residence. The spring weather this week inspired me to have a friend fix my bike so I can start to use it for my campus commute. I've got a long way to go before I am back in biking form but my goal is to participate in RAGBRAI this July. I read about this annual bike "race" across Iowa when I was an undergrad and put in on my life "to do" list. Ten years + later it seems about the right time to follow through. I'm trying to recruit a few fellow riders (for training in Ithaca and/or treking across Iowa) - so if you have the time and are up for the challenge/moving party let me know!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
street level commentary
About two years ago a graffiti artist known as Jerry started tagging compound walls across Port au Prince with cartoons that carry political/social messages. Within days after the earthquake he responded with new images. My friend and professional photographer BD just posted a great series of photos highlighting some of his work. Check it out here
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