One month after a devastating earthquake in Haiti, a United Nations high level meeting (set to meet later Friday in Rome) is expected to focus on food security in the Caribbean nation, where the influx to rural areas of tens of thousands of refugees is placing further strains on agricultural production. Convened by Haitian Agriculture Minister Joanas Gue, the meeting is hosted by the World Food Programme (WFP). WFP is coordinating hunger relief efforts in Haiti, together with other UN Rome-based agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), dpa reported. FAO has urged international donors to support a 700-million-dollar investment plan to repair earthquake-damaged infrastructure, boost national food production and create employment for people fleeing Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. The 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck on January 12, killing some 230,000 people and injuring more than 300,000, according to Haitian government figures.
