This Thursday, September 15, the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Raj Shah, accompanied by USAID Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean Mark Feierstein and USAID Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Latin American and the Caribbean Liliana Ayalde will visit the five-acre campus of the Sustainable Rural Development Center at Bas Boen.

During his visit, to which the President Martelly should take part, Raj Shah will meet with Haitian government officials and local farmers, and will deliver an address on USAID’s work in Haiti, the address will discuss agriculture and food security.

During his visit, Administrator Shah will also meet with USAID employees and participate in a panel discussion on mobile banking. Last year, USAID created the Haiti Mobile Money Initiative (HMMI) in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Since its launch, the HMMI has successfully provided crucial banking options to Haitians and used monetary incentives to encourage mobile providers to adapt to mobile banking. The initiative lays the foundation for advanced banking services that could help lift millions of Haitians out of extreme poverty.

Learn more about the Sustainable Rural Development Center :

The Sustainable Rural Development Center teaches farmers the use of modern agriculture to increase production and income. The campus opened in May 2011, includes a training center, a repository, a dormitory, three laboratories and space for distance learning.

The Haitian farmers are benefiting of the resources located physically in the center and a video link with agricultural experts from the University of Florida. The dormitory can accommodate farmers from other regions of country. They learn how to analyze the soil, identify pests and diagnose diseases that affect agricultural production. They also learn to use tools and techniques such as briquettes of fertilizer and irrigation drip that reduce costs and increase efficiency.

The Sustainable Rural Development Center, is one of eight agricultural training centers built with funding from the U.S. government and is part of the fight against hunger and food security of President Obama, "Feed the Future".

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-3539-haiti-technology-voila-awarded-for-its-mobile-payment-service-t-cash.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-2080-haiti-telecommunications-digicel-first-operator-of-mobile-payment-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-1208-haiti-technology-mobile-banking-services.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-1726-haiti-telecommunications-the-mobile-money-service-in-operation-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/article-302-haiti-economie-10-millions-de-dollars-pour-trouver-une-solution.html (in french)

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-3132-haiti-telecommunications-tchotcho-mobile-win-innovation-award.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-2659-haiti-technology-national-launch-of-the-service-tchotcho-mobile.html

S/ HaitiLibre