Haiti | �鶹��Ƶ

Haiti is the poorest country in the Latin America and the Caribbean region and among the poorest in the world.

Years of insecurity, violence and economic instability, combined with displacement, poor agricultural performance and climate shocks, have left millions of Haitians struggling to meet their food needs. The latest analysis projects that 6.35 million people will face acute food insecurity between March and June 2027, including almost 2 million at Emergency levels.

More than 1.5 million people have been forced from their homes, leaving many unable to work or grow their own food. In rural areas, farmers also face significant challenges, with insecurity disrupting agricultural and market supply chains and making it difficult to get produce to local markets.

Climate shocks are compounding these pressures. El Ni?o is bringing droughts and floods that are reducing harvests and affecting farmers' ability to prepare for the next planting season.

Against this backdrop, the �鶹��Ƶ works with the Government and communities to address immediate food needs, while strengthening the systems and livelihoods that can reduce vulnerability over the longer term.

What the �鶹��Ƶ is doing in Haiti

School meals: �鶹��Ƶ supports the Ministry of Education in broadening and improving school meals in Haiti. �鶹��Ƶ��s Home-Grown School Meals Programme has been expanded to further support the local economy and smallholder farmers, with 74 percent of children eating meals made from locally bought food.
Local agriculture and markets: Every month during the school year, �鶹��Ƶ buys US$1.7 million worth of local food in Haiti to be used in the school meals programme. �鶹��Ƶ works with over 170 OPAs (Organisations de Producteurs Agricoles) �C located in 9 out of 10 departments �C to source food from smallholder farmers, helping maximize local economic benefits for communities. In partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, �鶹��Ƶ also provides capacity building to the OPAs, including technical training on storage and grain conservation, quality control and reduction of post-harvest losses. In addition, �鶹��Ƶ subsidizes the set-up of processing facilities and assists with providing equipment.
Resilience building: �鶹��Ƶ helps vulnerable communities meet immediate food needs while strengthening their ability to withstand climate and other shocks. This includes rehabilitating water-management infrastructure and rural roads, as well as providing micro-insurance to protect farmers against crop losses caused by drought or excessive rainfall. These activities help protect livelihoods, strengthen local agriculture and reduce vulnerability to future shocks.
Social protection and capacity strengthening: �鶹��Ƶ supports the Government in strengthening the national social protection system. �鶹��Ƶ supports the development of the social registry, a national vulnerability database, which covers 30 percent of the population and enables effective targeting and registration of vulnerable groups. On behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, �鶹��Ƶ also facilitates monthly social cash transfers to the most vulnerable households �C comprising pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls, children aged 6-59 months, and persons with disabilities in the Grand��Anse Department, covering over 134,000 people. As part of its support to the social protection system, �鶹��Ƶ invests in improving assistance models, increasing the proportion of digital cash transfers from 3 percent in May 2022 to 73 percent by September 2024.
Emergency preparedness: �鶹��Ƶ works with the Government to strengthen preparedness for climate shocks and other emergencies. This includes pre-positioning emergency food, strengthening early-warning systems and providing anticipatory cash transfers so vulnerable families can take action before a shock strikes. �鶹��Ƶ also supports shock-responsive social protection, including the social registry and digitized cash transfers, and works with the Directorate of Civil Protection on SMS warnings ahead of storms.
Nutrition: �鶹��Ƶ screens children for malnutrition at the community level, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, referring those in need of treatment to health centres, while also providing specialized nutritious food. �鶹��Ƶ also offers nutrition education, through classes and counselling, to people living with HIV. Fifty schools were involved in a pilot programme to promote gender and nutrition among 3,000 students, over 4,000 parents and 12,000 community members, including through workshops and radio shows.