Haiti

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. More than hree quarters of its population lives below the poverty line (on less than US$2 a day), and about half, who live on less than US$1 a day, suffer from extreme poverty and chronic food insecurity. Fifty percent of the population live in rural zones and depend on agriculture, while 57 percent of the population is undernourished. Given the massive disruption to agriculture caused by the earthquake of 12 January 2010, FAO is working to keep the following programmes on track and to carry out its most recent relief and recovery operations in the country.

Main FAO programmes in the country

For more information on FAO's relief and recovery operations in Haiti, see our dedicated Web pages on the Haiti earthquake.

Programmes to combat soaring food prices
In 2008, FAO began providing technical assistance to a series of projects to help ease the burden of high food prices, including:

• an IFAD-funded project worth US$10.2 million to benefit 240 000 smallholder farmers and their families through the provision of bean, vegetables and cereal seeds, as well as sweet potato cuttings and banana plants. Work is being done to reconstitute the nation’s seed stock and to build capacities of local farmers’ associations;
• a two-year EU Food Facility project launched in May 2009, with €10 million in funds from the European Union, to support the government’s strategy to improve the food security and livelihoods of some 300 000 rural households living in a large catchment area in the country’s north-eastern province. The aim is to contribute to the growth and diversification of agriculture, livestock and agro-forestry, improve natural resources management and strengthen people’s resilience to natural disasters;
• a programme worth more than US$2.5 million, supported by the UN-OCHA’s Central Emergency Response Fund, to supply tools, bean, sorgo and maize seeds, cassava and sweet potato cuttings to 63 000 vulnerable farming families (more than 250 000 people), as well as irrigation pumps in selected communities;
• a Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project worth US$498 000 to provide Lima beans, cowpea and maize seed and tools to about 70 000 vulnerable people. Additional funds from the Spanish government were put toward this emergency response, for a total of US$885 000.

Investment programmes
The Investment Centre has contributed to the formulation of a broad range of agricultural and rural development programmes in Haiti with a total value of US$78 million, with US$70 million provided by donor partners. These programmes are being implemented, often with support from the Investment Centre, by the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the OPEC Fund for International Development, the Inter-American Development Bank and bilateral donors including Italy.  Projects underway include work on:

• creating job opportunities and improving access to socio-economic services and infrastructure in low-income urban and rural communities;
• boosting food production in rural communities through the rehabilitation of small-scale irrigation schemes and the multiplication of seeds;
• strengthening agricultural support services;
• preventing, detecting and controlling avian influenza.

Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS)
The Special Programme for Food Security was launched in June 1997. After pilot demonstration project to increase production started in two areas (Dubreuil, Laverdure), activities were expanded in 2001 to 3 new sites (Massé, Torbeck, Pérodin). Major crops are rice, maize and beans. Attention is focused on extension of new techniques, training and setting up farmers’ groups. To this day, some 2 500 farmers, including 350 women, have taken part in demonstration activities and small-scale irrigation rehabilitation works.

National Programme for Food Security (NPFS)
Haiti’s National Plan for Food and Nutritional Security is under revision. In December 2008, the National Food Security Coordination Unit (CNSA) and its partners completed planning workshops as part of the NPFS participatory development process. Six areas were identified as priorities:

• agriculture and environment;
• health and nutrition;
• crisis management and social protection;
• employment, microfinance and cooperative movement;
• tax and trade policies;
• governance and right to food.

In February 2009, a first draft of the action plan was finalized.

Regional Programme for Food Security (RPFS)
Haiti is a member of the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM). The Regional Special Programme for Food Security has been operational since April 2003, with technical support from FAO. It aims at improving food security in member countries by increasing quality food products availability and access for poor, food-insecure rural communities.

EMPRES - Animal Disease Component
In 2008, Haiti reported three low pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks (LPAI), now under control. Although highly pathogenic avian influenza still has not affected the Americas, FAO provides assistance to those countries through a regional technical cooperation project.

Animal production and health activities have been reinforced with an FAO livestock development expert based in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Emergency and Rehabilitation Programme
The FAO Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation Programme in Haiti combines humanitarian assistance activities and structural interventions. FAO helps most vulnerable communities resume farming, pastoral and fishing activities in order to increase their capacity to withstand climate shocks. FAO also strengthens infrastructure to reduce the impact of natural disasters. FAO activities in the country include:

• distribution of seeds, hand tools, fertilizers, small animals and fishing materials;
• support to husbandry and fishery activities;
• promotion of fruit tree crops for soil conservation;
• establishment of emergency seed stocks and seed storage and conservation;
• reconstruction and reinforcement of infrastructure (irrigation canals, river banks, etc.) to withstand future floods;
• urban and periurban agriculture income-generation activities.

National Medium-Term Investment Programme and bankable investment project profiles
FAO has helped develop a national Medium-term Investment Programme (PNIMT) and bankable investment project profiles (PPIB) for a total of six investment projects worth US$ 52 million. The projects focus on fishing, irrigation, energy, poultry, research and development and mountain farming activities. The documents were submitted to the Donors Conference which took place in Trinidad and Tobago on 2 June 2007.

last updated: 8 July 2011