As one of Haiti’s leading donors, the IDB said it is currently financing investment projects in the agriculture sector totaling more than US$200 million. (File photo) WASHINGTON D.C., United States, Thursday June 20, 2013 – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has furnished a US$15 million grant to Haiti to support policy, legal and institutional reforms in the agricultural sector. The Washington-based financial institution said farming plays a “fundamental role in the Haitian economy,” accounting for around half of the country’s jobs and almost one quarter of national income. “The new grant is the second in a series of programmatic operations that provide the Haitian government budget support as some of its key agencies address constraints affecting agriculture,” the IDB said. According to the IDB, Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development and the Inter-Ministerial Land Use Committee are “taking steps to modernize animal and plant health services, increase farmers’ access to agricultural innovations, expand access to irrigation, reduce crop damage caused by floods, and improve land management services.” As one of Haiti’s leading donors, the IDB said it is currently financing investment projects in the agriculture sector totaling more than US$200 million, including crop intensification, irrigation, rural value chains, farming technology transfers, land tenure clarification and watershed management. (CMC) Click here to receive free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)