The past, present, and future of plant diagnostic networks in Haiti
Joubert Fayette: Plant Pathology Department, University of Florida
<div>Plant diagnostic networks are vital components of plant protection services, providing surveillance for emerging diseases and decision-support for farmers. In Haiti, the national disease reporting by the Ministry of Agriculture has decreased significantly over the last decades. To revitalize the national disease diagnosis reporting, this Ministry has been a key actor in building a plant diagnostic network supported by the AREA project (USAID Feed the Future program). The Bas-Boen plant disease clinic, which is part of a Centre Rural de Developpement Durable, was built by the WINNER project (USAID Feed the Future). It has been functional since 2015 and conducts regular plant disease surveys as well as receiving samples. The objective of our current analyses is to identify how the diagnostic network can best be sustainable after the period of initial support from the USAID program or any international donor, and adaptable to the Haitian context. The major steps for characterizing and implementing this network include: identification of diagnostics expertise across the country, the establishment of a functional plant disease clinic, investment in human resource capacity and lab equipment, the delivery of plant diagnostics workshops, and the creation of a database listing high-priority pests and pathogens of beans, banana, rice, corn, and mangoes. We present how this network supports and expands plant diagnostic services in Haiti.</div>
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