Latest News: March Food Prices April 28, 2010

Food security deteriorates in areas affected by January earthquake and official figures point at 3 million of malnourished people.

The FAO (UN Food and Agricultural Organization) just came out with a GIWES country report on Haiti, dated April 7, on Food Security

official figures point at 3 million of malnourished people
32% of national population now
25% were in this problem before the quake

The report includes major crop seasons

There's not as much data here as we been seeing from FEWS, but there's stuff here not in FEWS, such as what's happening with the farmers.

Summary
http://reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/SNAA-84Y4QE?OpenDocument&rc=2

Donor's Conference Pledges are getting implemented at perhaps the rate of one a week.

http://www.refondation.ht/index.jsp?sid=1&id=190&pid=126

Malaria is now officially recognized as a major problem in Haiti.
Even with the increased police protection, rape is still epidemic in the camps.
The flooding that I reported as coming west from Dominican Republic. It is now in Cuba.
Soufrière Hills volcano near Haiti is still doing its thing, not as newsworthy as the ash cloud from Iceland.

An Imat Med team member said: If other relief workers have Verizon cell phone carrier, call customer service (611) and tell them they served with a relief organization in Haiti. Verizon will waive the call charges while there. Call before April 30, 2009. I did it this morning, and I can verify that this is NOT a... myth!! They are actually taking the charges off of my bill :)

http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/relief-and-reconstruction-watch/using-food-aid-to-support-not-harm-haitian-agriculture/

Argues that NGOs should be purchasing 100% of Haiti agricultural output, so as to stimulate that economy, instead of food aid undermining it, build it up to be able to feed Haiti, and maybe export some.

http://www.southernstudies.org/2010/03/southern-rice-and-haitian-hunger.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/20/with-cheap-food-imports-h_n_507228.html

http://dailybabel.com/2010/01/15/daily-babel-exclusive-bill-clinton-responsible-haitis-destruction/

Many people have argued that food aid has made it impossible for Haiti agriculture to function, that Haiti has become dependent on food aid, and unable to get out of that reality.

Bill Clinton has acknowledged that under his administration, he pushed for policies that helped American farmers at the expense of Haitian.

Haitian President René Préval -- an agronomist by training -- has said he wants agricultural investment in his country prioritized over food aid.

One of the interest groups on Linked In, which has spread to other places I hang out, is the concept of how to fix the ecology, such as via Biochar. This morning I posted the following to my Facebook page:

Improving our planet is doable in Haiti.
1. Learn about solutions such as Biochar.
2. Promote them such as here
http://www.newcarboneconomy.info/page5.php

3. Use or Implement in person as practical.
Learning about them is a very important first step.

I have been closely monitoring new stuff posted to RELIEF WEB and some relevant topics:

impact of food aid on food prices
what the quake did to Haiti agriculture
its dependence on humanitarian assistance
the quality of that aid

The overall picture is pretty bad.