Visiting Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly and FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva today appealed for increased investment in the country in order to build its long-term resilience. Graziano da Silva pledged FAO's support to Haiti through interventions that address both immediate crisis situations and the root causes of the island nation's food insecurity and poverty.

The objective, he said, is "to make Haitians, especially farmers, more resilient to climate and other challenges. But there is only one way to achieve this," he stressed — through investment "If we don't invest today, we will pay the price tomorrow," the FAO head said.