Friday, ended the first edition of the Forum on agro-environment around the theme "Agriculture and the Environment, which conciliation possible ?", an initiative of the Studies and Programming Unit (UEP) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR).

This forum, which brought together hundreds of experts, professionals, researchers, producers associations, donors and local authorities aimed to promote the the taking into account of environmental concerns into agriculture-related interventions.

Funded by the Treasury and the World Bank "This initiative is part of the Government's policy aimed at promoting good agricultural practices protecting the environment while providing income to rural and urban populations in the country," declared Jean François Thomas the Minister of Agriculture which stressed "This is a major initiative, insofar as it will educate all stakeholders on the issues of this problem, lay the foundations for sustainable agriculture and to identify elements of reflection to address key challenges, including that to reach to cohabit harmoniously, a modern agriculture in connection with environmental practices, in coherence with the development needs of the agricultural sector."

Participants discussed, inter alia, issues relating to agricultural policy, agricultural practices identified as being environmentally friendly and their adoption by farmers "How to combine preservation / restoration of the environment with increased agricultural productivity in a perspective of sustainability and improving of incomes of producers," was the thread of this event.

The Forum took place in the form of exchanges between participants from different backgrounds around several themes grouped into 3 panels :

1. Public policy and the environment;

2. Review of practices and experiences of actors;

3. Normative and educational instruments.

Through this initiative, the MARNDR intended raise awareness operators in the public and private sectors on environmental issues related to agricultural activities and deepen the specifications assigned to the Environmental Unit of the UEP.

The agronomist Jean André Victor, who took part in one of the panels has advocated for support for farmers stressed the need to recognize the property rights of farmers, the most important actors in the agricultural sector.

This Forum initiates the start of the search for solutions to general problems confronted by the agricultural sector. A think tank was formed to follow up the resolutions taken at the end of this event.

S/ HaitiLibre