Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

Sustainable Agriculture in Turkey

Sustainable Agriculture in TurkeyBetween Europe and the Asian continent is the Republic of Turkey, therefore, it is considered an intercontinental country. Two seas surround the territory: the Black Sea in the north and the Mediterranean Sea in the south. Climate varies depending on the part of the territory. Cities near the coast have a Mediterranean climate that is warm, humid and ideal for agricultural purposes. Turkey’s economy grew based on agricultural sector activity. Now, such a sector is not the primary economic source for the country anymore and the need for sustainable agriculture in Turkey arises.

 

Barriers to Sustainable Agriculture in Turkey

Up to 20 percent of the Turkish population still works cultivating the land. Nowadays, up to 50 percent of the land is used for agricultural purposes. Regardless, the government has yet to take a step forward towards sustainable agriculture in Turkey.

Pesticides, fertilizers and soil erosion of the arable land, are the three main issues within the agricultural sector. Extreme drought is a fourth, but lesser issue in the Eurasian country. “Anatolian plateau” is the name given to the central part of the Turkish region that suffers most droughts due to its geographical positioning.

The interior part of the territory suffers from a dryer climate. Such conditions can have a significantly prejudicial impact on the arable land and rural economy in its entirety. This is taking a toll by making it a challenge to keep sustainable agriculture as an ongoing achievable goal.

The following affect sustainable agriculture in Turkey:

  • a rapid population growth
  • a loss of arable land due to extreme droughts
  • and the recurrent use of degraded land.

These augment the pollution levels in the water, the emission of greenhouse gases, and the loss of organic matter within the soil.

 

Recent Increase in Sustainable Agriculture

Even though multiple issues have emerged, sustainable agriculture in Turkey has increased over the past two years. The use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides has gone up, thus helping sustainability within the rural economic sector.

The agricultural sector is now undergoing a series of initiatives that will hopefully further increase sustainable agriculture in Turkey during the next few years. The Turkish government has provided training in order to create awareness on sustainable agriculture as well as spread new rural techniques that can help farmers with productivity. Sustainable agriculture in Turkey has already been improved, and during the next decades will have an even better and bigger impact that will benefit productivity, the soil, and the Turkish population.

– Paula Gibson

Photo: Flickr

Sustainable Agriculture in Tuvalu

sustainable agriculture in Tuvalu

Sustainable agriculture in Tuvalu, a small island developing state (SIDS), requires a cooperative network of individuals that understand and manage an unsure climate and disaster risk. Tuvalu consists of nine islands with its highest point being only a few meters above sea level. This makes for an unfriendly climate and physical environment as well as poor land resources and soil.

Agricultural Challenges

Due to the harsh variation in the climate, Tuvalu faces major setbacks in agricultural development.  This forces the government to rely heavily on imported food, rather than locally produced food, to feed the country. According to the USAID Demographic Health Survey, the lack of sustainable agriculture in Tuvalu in 2007 caused a reported 61.2 percent of children under five years old to become anemic because of insufficient nutrients found in vegetables. This resulted in further issues as inflation hiked to 12 percent in 2008 instilling a reliance on imported food that has threatened the health of the country’s children.

Most of the crops grown in the villages are kept for individual sustenance (the taro, breadfruit, pandanus, pumpkin, etc.) with production being limited and often damaged by animals. Coconut trees remain the country’s largest crop and export, despite the high prices and restricted amount of exports by the government.

Sustainable Solutions

To create a reliable food source, the government turned its focus to home gardening, teaching Tuvalu’s women and children how to produce nutritious foods in their backyards to promote health. According to the 2005-2015 Tuvalu National Strategy for Sustainable Development, there is hope for revamping the country’s agricultural practices that have declined or been forgotten due to increasing urbanization, specifically on the local level within the villages.

Sustainable agriculture in Tuvalu centers on creating a reliable food source that can survive the country’s harsh climate and soil conditions. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) partnered with Tuvalu in 2003 to develop an environmentally secure source of food production. The Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees supplied a banana plant that can resist the climate, the black sigatoka disease along with 20 other diseases that are common among plant crops.

Local farmers have been supplied with these disease-resistant plantlets for crops that could support local and household consumption. Workshops and field demonstrations provided by the FAO to farmers and extension officers have helped boost the success of these crops significantly. They demonstrated two cultivation systems appropriate for the successful production of these crops in Tuvalu’s environment.

The FAO provided further workshops to teach farmers how to protect plants against invasive pests and harmful plant species. Educating farmers on these matters is key to creating sustainable agriculture in Tuvalu. Through continued education and working directly with local farmers, Tuvalu’s economy and agriculture will improve.

– Kayla Rafkin

Photo: Flickr

Credit Access in Sri Lanka

Credit Access in Sri LankaSri Lanka and its citizens can benefit greatly from credit access. As an island country in South Asia of many languages and ethnicities, it has, of course, been a product of dispute for many years. A democratic republic, political unrest and ethnic divide have been a main source of disarray as noted by its thirty-year civil war which ended in 2009. But besides political issues, Sri Lanka is an economically stable country in South Asia, with a high Human Development Index rating and a per capita income that ranks highest among South Asian countries. Its main economic sectors are tourism, textiles, rice products, and tea, of which it is the second-largest exporter in the world. Similar to most countries, however, while there is certainly stability, Sri Lanka does have its issues.

Sri Lanka still has a large number of citizens who live in poverty. While only 1.8 percent of Sri Lankans live in abject poverty, nearly 45 percent live on $5 or less a day. It is difficult to maintain a stable income, especially in rural areas. It is even more difficult to achieve personal growth when income covers expenses and there is little left over.

Credit Access in Sri Lanka

That’s why credit access in Sri Lanka, especially in rural communities, is an important stage in its continued development. In a report from 2005, the World Bank Group discusses the best methods of increased access for the rural poor. For example, enhanced remittances and payment services, and long-term saving instruments are highly useful for the poor and can be implemented in small and rural enterprises.

 

Remittances

Remittances, particularly, have grown rapidly in Sri Lanka. As the report states, Sri Lanka should move from an informal, unsafe network to a formal financial institution with better services, such as savings and insurance. This improvement in credit access in Sri Lanka will allow citizens to manage their financials with lower risks.

 

Loan Access

A 2011 assessment by the World Bank concluded that only 35 of Sri Lankan small firms can access a loan or a line of credit. Then, in 2013, Sri Lanka’s Credit Information Bureau (CRIB) and the World Bank agreed to boost credit access by making it easier to use movable assets as collateral. The World Bank will help CRIB to develop a legal framework that allows small businesses to mortgage inventory and equipment to bypass the traditional loan agreements.

 

Loans to Boost Credit Access

And in 2016, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and LOMC (the nation’s leading microfinance institution) inked a $25 million loan agreement to boost credit access in Sri Lanka, specifically for small businesses and individuals. Under the agreement, LOMC will use the loan as funds for lending to micro-businesses and will improve financial products and outreach to remote farmers. LOMC hopes to improve access to banking, as 70 percent of citizens do not have any access, and, because the deal lasts five years, have the sources for long-term loans.

Sri Lanka continues to grow, and with these credit-based programs and findings, it will do so in a stable and financially viable direction. Hopefully, within the next decade, a majority of the population will have access to banking, and credit will allow for the rural poor to lead more economically independent lives.

– Nick McGuire

Photo: Flickr

The Promotion and Increase of Sustainable Agriculture in Kyrgyzstan

Sustainable Agriculture in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan lies in central Asia with much of its land consisting of rugged and mountainous terrain. The country faces harsh winters and hot, arid summers because of its height above sea level that ranges anywhere from 1,000 meters to 3,000 meters. Kyrgyzstan’s land and climate mean there are very few arable locations suitable for growing and sustaining seasonal crops.

With much of their communities being rural, Kyrgyzstan is reliant on their agricultural products as a source of sustenance and income with around 40 percent of laborers focused in agriculture.

Crops

A variety of crops grown in Kyrgyzstan are best-suited for the land and climate, including wheat, barley, maize, potatoes, vegetables and fruits, while sugar beets, cotton and tobacco are grown for export.

Kyrgyz focus more on keeping pastures and maintaining herds of livestock for food because of the small amount of land for farming. Livestock mainly consists of sheep, goats and yak, but some regions can support cattle, pigs and chickens.

Agricultural Practices

Both the agricultural practices of the Kyrgyz and the increasing amount of agricultural production needed for the population make sustainable agriculture in Kyrgyzstan a growing and serious issue.

Due to how rural much of the country is, farmers tend to only have access to the most basic of tools, and often lack the knowledge of proper farming methods, meaning what little land there is to be farmed is being dramatically degraded. The herding of livestock has had a similar effect on the land in the form of desertification in overused pastures.

Nutritional Deficiencies

The lack of farmable and healthy pasture land is not the only issue regarding sustainable agriculture in Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz can only grow hearty, starchy crops to survive the harsh conditions of the country, and as a result, many are affected by nutritional deficiencies; children can have stunted growth because of a lack of essential vitamins and minerals found in fairer weather crops.

Nutritional deficiencies can also be contributed to rural Kyrgyz simply not being able to afford food — many have low salaries compared to the cost of food from Kyrgyzstan and imports to the country.

Foreign Aid

Kyrgyzstan often depends on foreign aid to provide what it cannot due to poverty and the agricultural issues the nation faces. Although this aid does fund some food relief programs to provide for Kyrgyz who need it the most, much of the projects and programs focus on the agriculture itself.

USAID programs in the country tend to focus on both making agricultural practices more sustainable, such as how the land is managed and how produce is stored, and on making the agricultural economy of Kyrgyzstan more viable by aiding in the production of in-demand crops for export.

This, in turn, provides farmers with the money needed to purchase better tools and infrastructure for more sustainable practices.

Sustainable Agriculture in Kyrgyzstan

For the time, sustainable agriculture in Kyrgyzstan is a struggle both economically and environmentally, and lack of proper nutrition has a negative impact on the population.

There is hope on the horizon, though, from a variety of programs funded by foreign aid in an attempt to not only provide Kyrgyz with proper nutrition but also make their agricultural practices so sustainable that they will be able to advance themselves in the future.

– Keegan Struble

Photo: Flickr

, ,

Educational Reform in Ghana Providing Opportunities for Children

educational reform in Ghana

In 1993, the Republic of Ghana established the Ministry of Education to provide easier educational access to Ghanaian citizens. The ministry focuses on academic, technical and vocational programs. The Ministry of Education also concentrates on infrastructure, the refurbishing of schools and bringing in newly trained teachers and academic scholars.

Seven years later, in 2000, Ghana incorporated a new educational reform program, called the Ghana Education Trust Fund. The fund was installed to provide quality education from basic (elementary) schooling to tertiary (college; trade schools).

Educational reform in Ghana finally began with Ghana’s Vision 2020 Act, which started in 1996. The plan was broken down into four parts: The First Step (1996-2000), Ghana Poverty and Reduction Strategy (2003-2005), Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (2006-2009) and the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (2010-2013).

The 2020 date was set to give the Ghanaian government enough time to accomplish all of its goals, with hopes that the government will go above and beyond to exceed all of its expectations in time. Ghana finished the project in 2015, accomplishing a great deal five years before the deadline.

Education has been free for primary school (elementary) and middle school. However, high school was optional, with most high schools being privately owned, making it difficult for many families to afford higher education for their children and causing students to drop out at a young age.

In 2014, Ghana’s president partnered with the World Bank to announce a new project called the Ghana Secondary Education Improvement Project, which launched free public education at the high school level in 2017, giving children a chance to stay in school to further their education in the hope that free education will lower the dropout rate in Ghana.

The financing provides $156 million over five years, between 2014 and 2019. The plan will help the Ghanaian government improve its educational reform plan, provide educational access to underserved children, improve the quality of education and provide technical assistance. Students and teenagers are welcoming educational reform in Ghana and the chance to attend free higher-level educational institutions, and are hopeful that this program will give them the opportunity for a better life not only for themselves, but for their families too.

Promoting educational reform in Ghana will not only provide children with better academic opportunities and skills, but will also help fight against child labor. Although Ghana has set up many laws and acts against child labor, such as the Child Protection Compact and the Worst Forms of Labor acts, many children still find themselves forced into harsh labor conditions rather than attending school and receiving a proper education.

The Child Labor Coalition website tells a story of a young boy whose father sold him to human traffickers because there was no money for his education. Lake Volta, the area the child was sold into, is known for forced child labor and actively ignoring Ghana’s current laws against such dreadful circumstances. The children are usually made to work anywhere between 10-20 hours per day, are terribly abused and fed very little.

As terrifying as this is, educational reform in Ghana is the key to a brighter future for these children. It is the answer to ending child labor and lowering dropout rates. Ensuring that Ghanaian children are provided with more opportunities and prospects will allow the country of Ghana to flourish, keeping children and their families happier and healthier while providing a safer environment for all of Ghana.

– Rebecca Lee

Photo: Flickr

, ,

How the US Benefits from Foreign Aid to Madagascar

How the U.S. Benefits from Foreign Aid to MadagascarThe U.S. has been helping Madagascar through various forms of aid and agreements for more than 30 years. In 2016, USAID was able to supply $91 million to Madagascar. Madagascar takes part in the President’s Malaria Initiative, water, sanitation and hygiene program and biodiversity conservation. The United States is part of an agreement with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, which helps frame trading and investments. Madagascar is one of the countries that can benefit massively from the agreement. The country is also eligible for even more trade benefits from the African Growth and Opportunity Act. However, this relationship is not one-sided; the U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Madagascar in several ways.

According to the U.S. Department of State, U.S. imports from Madagascar include apparel, vanilla beans, precious stones and metals, perfumes and cosmetics. The U.S. exports machinery, rice, wheat, vegetable oil, aircraft and vehicles to Madagascar. Each item that the U.S. exports requires workers to make and package them, creating jobs in the U.S. to help Madagascar even more. Trading and exporting higher profit items such as vehicles further shows how the U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Madagascar.

In 2011, Bill Gates explained how the U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Madagascar and other countries as well. “The 1 percent we spend on aid for the poorest not only saves millions of lives, it has an enormous impact on developing economies – which means it has an impact on our economy.” Years later, this statement is still accurate.

In 2016, Madagascar imported $2.79 billion in products, a 1.68 percent increase from 2011. This shows that the economy is growing and foreign aid is helping. However, the U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Madagascar not just through import and exports; foreign aid helps contribute to the security of the United States and can work to keep relations with countries such as Madagascar on reasonable terms.

In Madagascar, the United States focuses on helping with food security, disaster assistance and health. Recently, the United States has been the most significant donor to this country. The U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Madagascar because, with all of this support, all that is left is progress. Progress related to the economy, healthcare systems and the continuation of development after natural disasters are all ongoing.

As Madagascar works to lower the 92 percent of people living on $2 a day, the U.S. will start to see benefits. For example, American businesses will benefit because as people who were once in poverty become wealthier, they will have money to purchase consumer goods. This example is critical to show how the U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Madagascar.

In sum, Madagascar is still struggling daily and needs foreign aid to help, especially with the number of natural disasters that occur every year. However, all of the progress that is being made shows how essential foreign aid is to improving the lives of Madagascar’s citizens and increasing trade opportunities for the U.S.

– Amber Duffus

Photo: Flickr

, , , ,

Three Global Healthcare Initiatives of the Global Health Council

18. Three Global Healthcare Initiatives of the Global Health Council
The Global Health Council fights for U.S. and international policies and resources that advance global health programs and goals through several global healthcare initiatives. Three major global healthcare initiatives of the Global Health Council are Global Financing Facility (GFF), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Global Health Security.

 

1. Global Financing Facility

The development of the Global Financing Facility was announced at the 69th U.N. General Assembly in 2014 by the World Bank and the Governments of Canada, Norway and the United States.

The GFF developments was for supporting reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) through Every Women Every Child, to reduce preventable maternal, newborn, child and adolescent deaths, as well as improving health overall.

Part of GFF’s strategy to channel international and domestic resources towards RMNCAH includes continuing the work with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and focusing on sustainable development and business plans.

Through domestic and international, private and public funding, $12 billion has already been aligned to country-led, five-year investment plans in four initial countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.

New commitments were made by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the governments of Canada, Japan and the United States; in addition, eight additional countries were announced to benefit from the GFF: Bangladesh, Cameroon, India, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda.

 

2. The Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global goals that aim to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity with each goal having specific targets to be reached by 2030.

The 17 goals are:

  1. No Poverty
  2. Zero Hunger
  3. Good health and well-being
  4. Quality Education
  5. Gender Equality
  6. Clean Water and Sanitation
  7. Affordable and Clean Energy
  8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
  9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
  10. Reduced Inequalities
  11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
  12. Responsible Consumption and Production
  13. Climate Action
  14. Life Below Water
  15. Life on Land
  16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
  17. Partnerships for the Goals

The globe reached an agreement to strive to implement these goals, and the entity of the Global Health Council is no exception.

 

3. The Global Health Security

The Global Health Security serves to prepare for and respond to public health threats and reduce or prevent its spread across borders. The effort accomplishes this by implementing strong health systems with resources and personnel that identify threats and prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

The IHR, International Health Regulations purpose is to enable the international community to prevent and respond to public health risks that will potentially cross borders and threaten populations worldwide.

To ensure countries are able to meet the IHR, the U.S. is committed to the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) — a partnership with other governments, international agencies and other stakeholders that seeks to prevent, detect and respond to global health threats.

These three global healthcare initiatives, as well as others, are making significant and meaningful impacts in countries all over the world.

– Julia Lee

Photo: Flickr

,

The Extreme Effects of Poverty in the Philippines

The Effects of Poverty in the Philippines
The Philippines is a country located in Southeast Asia comprised of more than 7,000 islands. Poverty has proven to be one of the most significant challenges facing this country and its citizens. Filipinos are having a hard time surviving in such difficult conditions, and more and more are falling into extreme poverty.

According to the Asian Development Bank, the major causes of poverty include: low economic growth, a weak agricultural sector, increased population rates and a high volume of inequality. Because of these factors, there are a lot of effects of poverty in the Philippines that make it difficult for people to live in such circumstances.

Inability to Afford Housing

With poverty plaguing the country and employment opportunities being scarce, many Filipinos are unable to afford housing, which puts them in danger of turning to the streets for accommodation. In 2012, extreme poverty within the Philippines affected 19.2 percent of the population or around 18.4 million people.

This poverty line survived on $1.25 a day, making it extremely difficult to rise out of poverty and find affordable housing for Filipinos and their families.

Malnutrition in the Philippines

Hunger is one of the extreme effects of poverty in the Philippines. With little money to buy food, Filipinos are having to survive on very limited food; even when food supplies are stable, they are most accessible in other areas where people have enough income to purchase the food.

And with such an unequal distribution of income, there is a low demand for food supplies in less developed areas that are home to low-income residents. The quality of food is also decreasing — rice used to be the main source of food for Filipinos, but now it has largely been replaced with instant noodles, which is cheaper but less nutritious. As a result, malnutrition has become a lot more common.

Child Labor

With poverty taking a toll on Filipinos, parents often can’t make enough money to support their families; children then have to be taken out of school to work in harsh conditions. Statistics show that around 3.6 million children, from ages 5-17, are child laborers in the Philippines. This is 15.9 percent of the entire population.

Crime and Thievery

With conditions so troublesome, people often resort to crime and thievery to survive. Research found that one of the overwhelming reasons to steal is due to difficulties caused by poverty. Without proper employment, people turn to stealing, especially since family sizes are rather large, and there are a lot of people to provide for.

There are too many people and not enough resources. And with such conditions, people become desperate and practice drastic measures to provide for themselves and their families.

Even with later statistics found in 2015, 21.6 percent of the population lived below the poverty line. Conditions do not seem to be improving, but there is always the hope for new development. As a result, it is important to understand the effects of poverty in the Philippines because it is a country in need of assistance.

– McCall Robison

Photo: Flickr

, ,

Her Farm Offers Hope and Prosperity to Children and Women in Nepal

Her Farm Offers Hope to Children and Women in Nepal
Women in Nepal own land and pursue new occupations. A small village in Nepal, Mankhu, has a unique program for women’s empowerment — Her Farm — where women are in a position to pursue their dreams, learn how to drive a motorbike, learn English, work in radio, study film and photography and so much more.

 

Women in Nepal

Even though the women in Nepal run the house, most women still depend on male family members for financial stability. This pattern often leaves many women unable to escape abusive circumstances and limits them from pursuing their passions.

A village program with a group of 30 people, mainly women and children, focuses on allowing women to own land and pursue their dream jobs outside of just traditionally female areas of occupation like handicrafts or food production.

The people come from very different backgrounds with some from the village, some escaping from abusive relationships and some coming from mental-health facilities or broken homes.

 

Violence and Gender Inequality

In a survey from the Ministry of Health and Population of Nepal in 2011, 28 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 said they had experienced violence from their partner at least once in their partnership; 14 percent had experienced it in the last year.

Women who do not have an occupation often have no choice but to stay in an abusive relationship.

The government of Nepal recognizes this problem has offered significant tax cuts if land is registered in a woman’s name, but little progress has resulted. Her Farm is responding to this issue by offering a safe place for women.

The country ranks 115th in the Gender Inequality Index by the United Nations Development Program, and child marriage also remains a problem. Her Farm provides education so all the children in the village can go to school every day.

 

Women Farmers

A joint program by U.N. Women and partners in Nepal has also improved women farmers’ agricultural production and income, as well as changed many of the gender-discriminatory attitudes of their male counterparts.

An irrigation system was built to bring fresh water closer to homes and water the crops through support from the Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment Joint Program and was implemented by U.N. Women, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the World Food Programme. Such developments are funded by a consortium of donors that focus on economic empowerment.

Rural women in Nepal lack recognition for their roles, making up a large proportion of the agricultural labor force and sustaining nearly 80 percent of the population.

 

Ending Discrimination

Women farmers face discrimination with unequal pay and lack of access to resources and markets. Fortunately, though, the narrative is changing as women’s agricultural production improves and the program increases their income, food security and independence.

As women in Nepal take up leadership positions, their children can follow their footsteps and have women to look up to as they change the climate for women in Nepal.

– Julia Lee

Photo: Flickr

, ,

How the US Benefits from Foreign Aid to Haiti

How the U.S. benefits from foreign aid to HaitiFollowing the massive earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, killing at least 200,000 people and displacing 1.5 million others, the United States contributed $5.1 billion toward relief, recovery and reconstruction. Temporary visas were also granted so that some Haitians could seek better opportunities in the United States. White House officials announced on January 17, 2018, that Haitians would no longer be eligible for U.S. visas given to low-skilled workers. The U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Haiti, including this program, as it helps foster goodwill and acknowledges that the U.S. has taken much from Haiti in the past.

Haiti gained independence from France on January 1, 1804, and became the second oldest independent nation in the Western hemisphere. Before that, Haitians helped America win the Revolutionary War. In 1914, the United States under Woodrow Wilson invaded Port-au-Prince, raided the nation’s reserve and occupied the country. Haiti was ruled by the United States until 1934. Haiti still feels the consequences of imperialism and the U.S.-supported dictatorship that lasted from 1957 until 1986.

Today, the United States and Haiti are trade partners. The U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Haiti because helping the Haitian economy allows for increased trade. Many of the clothes sold at Walmart, JCPenney, Gap, Old Navy and other well-known stores are manufactured in Haiti. The country’s garment manufacturing industry has been stable for decades and is currently employing 60,000 people, according to the Association of Industries of Haiti. The apparel sector makes up at least 90 percent of Haiti’s total exports.

There is clear economic evidence that migrant workers fill important gaps in the U.S. labor market. A 2013 study showed that at the height of the Great Recession in North Carolina, unemployment reached 12 percent. Among half a million unemployed workers in the state, only 250 applied for the 6,500 open agricultural jobs. Haitian immigrants help fill the agricultural labor gap and add value to the U.S. economy.

The U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Haiti and the workers that travel to America on temporary visas. By disallowing visas to Haitian immigrants, the United Staes is cutting off an economically beneficial opportunity for both itself and the Haitian people. The special visas gave Haitians a rare chance to work legally in the United States, contribute to the U.S. economy and help fund the recovery of Haiti after the earthquake.

The United States’ humanitarian assistance to Haiti following the 2010 earthquake fostered goodwill and was a meaningful gesture that helped make amends for the many years of imperialistic rule. When Haiti is productive, safe and firmly rooted in democracy, both Haitians and Americans benefit. U.S. policy focused on aid to Haiti can foster the institutions and infrastructure necessary to achieve meaningful poverty reduction through sustainable development.

– Sam Bramlett

Photo: Flickr