Farmers’ fear of cholera threatens rice harvest in Haiti – UN agency
(December 30, 2010) Farmers in north-western Haiti are likely to lose a significant
portion of their rice harvest due to reluctance to work in paddy fields they fear
are contaminated by the cholera-causing bacteria, the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) said Wednesday, adding that it is helping to carry out a hygiene
awareness campaign among the farming communities. A cholera epidemic in Haiti has
claimed the lives of more than 2,700 people and infected some 130,000 others since
October. FAO said it is working with the Haitian ministries of agriculture and health
to provide hygiene information to farmers. The agency’s preliminary assessment indicates
that many farmers are avoiding the harvest, fearing that the water in the rivers and
canals that irrigate their paddies and other fields might be infected. There are
also reports of consumers avoiding food produced in regions affected by the cholera
outbreak, a factor that could further damage trade in agricultural produce. FAO is
working closely with Haitian authorities and other UN agencies in the health and sanitation
sectors to give farmers the right information on precautionary measures while working
in the fields. The agency and its partners are also supporting the assessment on cholera’s
impact on food security and rural livelihoods. According to FAO, radio stations broadcasting
cholera sensitization messages do not reach some remote areas. Information meant for
rural low-income communities needs to be transmitted directly through outreach initiatives,
the agency said. The effects of the cholera outbreak on agriculture were compounded
by the November floods brought on by hurricane Tomas, which damaged farming infrastructure
and damaged up to 78,000 hectares of crops.