Cuba and Haiti present food security projects in Panama

Panama City, Dec 5 (RHC) According to FAO press release, experts from Cuba and Haiti will present their experiences in food security and better nutrition programs in Panama.

The representation in the isthmus of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is sponsoring the meeting, said the participants in the three-day forum will become familiar with projects in Havana that integrate innovation and technology in public policies.

In this regard, the multilateral organization indicated that participants will be able to appreciate the work carried out by the Specialized Center of Sierra Maestra, which is working on multiple studies on the production, exploitation, and use of plants with high protein content in animal and human nutrition.

According to FAO, the Cuban experience has made it possible to use items such as moringa and morera leaves to feed livestock and small animals such as rabbits and poultry, actions that have the common goal of achieving food sovereignty and security in the Caribbean country.

It also stresses that Cuba has recently approved the Food Sovereignty and Security Law, as well as the Food Sovereignty and Nutritional Education Plan, contents that will be disseminated in this exchange.

On the other hand, they highlight the expectations to learn about the work of the National Institute of Food Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology in Cuba, in particular the design of a monitoring and evaluation system for these indicators.

On Monday, the Cuban delegation will also make a presentation on the fundamentals of school feeding.

Delegates from Haiti, where agriculture accounts for 25 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 85 percent of employment in rural areas, will present inequities in this area, which cause some 4.1 million people (40 percent of the population) to be currently in a situation of serious food insecurity, crisis or emergency.

Globally, Haiti is the third most vulnerable country to climate change, and its food systems are severely affected by extreme phenomena, in addition to the lack of infrastructure and basic services, as well as an almost null integration of innovation and science, FAO added.

This meeting in Panama will provide an opportunity to stimulate South-South cooperation from two different approaches and situations.