Haiti is a mess, a country with longstanding economic problems now devastated by a terrible natural disaster. Even prior to the earthquake, the country’s prospects were not encouraging. Haiti remains the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Most Haitians are unemployed, the vast majority depending on subsistence farming for their food. As government and …

… volunteers pour into the country to provide much-needed aid, world leaders prepare to debate how best to rebuild the country. A sound approach would recognize the humanity of Haitians by treating them, once the pressing tasks of rescue are over, as people capable of making responsible choices. In the process, one should not underestimate the capacity of Haitian agriculture to build wealth and put the country back on its feet.

Generating wealth through judicious agricultural policies is becoming more recognized than ever before. Since the 2008 food crisis, agriculture and food security have become central to the international agenda. Just last year, the World Bank increased its spending on agriculture by 50%, to US$6-billion. Many countries, such as India, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, and Honduras have implemented programs to assist farmers as an anti-poverty measure. Though more than half of Haitians that do work are in farming, the Haitian agricultural industry produces less than half of the country's food needs. Haiti is therefore highly dependent on food imports. Many experts state that Haiti's agriculture is the least productive in the world. A mix of bad agricultural policies and the absence of a comprehensive strategy led to this predicament.

Historically, Haiti has had several thriving agricultural industries, such as sugarcane, rice and coffee. But, for various reasons, each vanished and left almost nothing behind. The latest food crisis in 2008 hit Haiti hard, and has yet to initiate any productive institutional responses, mainly because United Nations agencies, like the FAO and the IFAD, wasted energy in finger-pointing.

When global leaders meet to address the Haitian situation, they should remember that the most prominent national policy trend in wealth creation and agriculture these days is a shift from food security towards food self-sufficiency, especially for poor countries. The former means ensuring every citizen has plenty to eat; the latter enables a poor country to build domestic agricultural capacity. For Haiti, moving towards food sufficiency, and therefore a solid economic base, will be crucial.

Achieving sufficiency requires concerted action from both Haiti and other countries. First, Haiti needs to reform its agricultural outlook. Haiti's successive governments have never spent more than 3% of the country's annual economic output on food production. Concern for agriculture is almost non-existent. In addition, a recent decision to lower tariffs on imports without helping farmers transition to more profitable crops was a blow to the agricultural sector. Consequently, it is more economically viable for Haiti to import rice than to produce it. In fact, Haiti is now the world's biggest per-capita importer of rice. However, rice is an ideal low-risk crop for Haitian farmers because it is easy to store. Looking ahead, if Haiti and contributing nations can raise funds, Haiti may be able to open thousands of new acres to rice cultivation, and save enough money on rice imports to support its domestic economy. This could happen within a decade.

Second, endowed countries can do more than providing financial support to Haiti. For instance, Haitian farmers need better seeds. Many countries, including Canada, are capable of providing varieties of seeds that adapt well to Haiti's climate and soils. But Haiti has some of the weakest property protections in the world, as well burdensome business regulations. Canada and other nations could assist Haiti in developing better governance and ability to carry out the rule of law.

Finally, globalization hasn’t treated Haiti particularly well. The globalized agrifood system, of course, has been centuries in the making. It has provided benefits for many industrialized nations, but it has also accentuated and accelerated inequalities. We, as a nation, must make responsible choices as actors in globalized food economies, for everyone’s benefit. A more level-headed approach, as opposed to short-sighted tariffs on food imports and over-inflated agricultural subsidies, can provide opportunities for developing countries like Haiti. Giving money to Haiti to ease suffering caused by the earthquake will not wash away its agricultural powerlessness. Good agricultural policy by the Western world will provide lasting help.

Leveraging Haiti’s agricultural capacity will take the country on a new path to sufficiency, but this will require time and dedication from many supportive nations. The time to act is now. A jolt of sound policy and a comprehensive strategic approach to agriculture will consolidate Haiti’s dearly needed food sovereignty.

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