Haiti: Peasants march for a 'real agricultural policy'

Thousands of Haitian peasants marched in the city of Hinche in the Central Plateau region on 21 June to demand that the government promote food sovereignty, the restoration of the environment and the development of an agriculture 'adapted to the reality of our country'. 'There needs to be a real agricultural policy,' protesters said, in distinction to current policies that encourage the importation of food, seeds and other agricultural commodities. 'Every day we see our neighbours giving up farming in the absence of any decent income,' said a longtime planter who gave his name as Jérôme. 'Young peasants are very often discouraged by the lack of economic prospects [and] the prohibitive cost of land.'