Reference Date: 14-October-2024

Record high 5.4 million people acutely food insecure

Food insecurity continues to worsen in 2024, with gangs’ territorial disputes escalating, amid the deterioration of the economic and political scenario. A new government was appointed in June 2024, one month after the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSD) first contingent was deployed in the country, but improvements in the security conditions are still minimal. After a slight reduction in the second quarter of the year, armed gang violence episodes have sharply increased in the third quarter and a state of emergency was declared in July 2024 in 14 municipalities of the Metropolitan Area of Port-au-Prince and the Artibonite Department, where many people were forced to flee their homes. As of September 2024, about 700 000 Internally displaced persons (IDPs) were reported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), almost double compared to March 2024 and mostly hosted in South Department.

Insecurity is disrupting supply chains, hampering access to food, fuel and basic services. Roadblocks on the main roads hamper farmers from selling their harvests on the markets, severely restricting food supply on markets. The availability of food is also limited by the general crisis of the agricultural sector, caused by assets deterioration, farmland abandonment and high production and transport costs. The resulting upward pressure on food inflation, that was 42.4 percent higher year-on-year in July 2024, is deteriorating the purchasing power of most households.

According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, the number of acutely food insecure people (IPC Phase 3 [Crisis] or above) between August 2024 and February 2025 is estimated at a record high of 5.4 million (48 percent of the analysed population), with a 4 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023/24. About 6 000 people are reported to face catastrophic level of hunger, classified in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe). With violence and insecurity severely hampering humanitarian operations. Food assistance is currently reaching less than 10 percent of the population whose basic needs are not expected to be met in the remaining months of 2024.

Below-average output for maize and paddy crops in 2024 spring season

Harvesting of the main season maize crop finalized in July 2024, while harvesting operations for the spring season paddy crop just ended in September. The outcome of both crops is estimated at a below-average level in the key producing Artibonite, Ouest and Centre departments, reflecting the reduction of planted area due to land abandonment, high labour costs and the difficult access to seeds and financing, amid worsening insecurity conditions. In addition, dry spells during the March-to-May 2024 period had a negative impact on crop establishment. Generally improved precipitation amounts from June to August provided conducive conditions for crop development.

Planting of the second season maize crop is ongoing and the harvest is expected to start in November. Dry weather conditions reported in September in the key producing areas are expected to have a negative impact on planting operations. The weather forecast points to above-average rainfall amounts in the
October-to-December period, which may damage crops during the maturation and harvesting stages. The high likelihood of a severe hurricane season, associated with the La Niña phenomenon, raises the risk of significant crop losses and damage to infrastructures.

Cereal imports forecast above average in 2024/25

Cereal imports for the 2024/25 marketing year (July/June), mostly wheat and rice for food consumption, are anticipated at an above-average level of 735 000 tonnes. Despite the closure of the main seaport, cereal imports between June and August 2024 were above their year-earlier level, reflecting lower year-on-year international prices of wheat and rice.

Black beans and maize prices marginally declined due to improved seasonal availability

After four months of growth, prices of maize and black beans were stable during the April to July 2024 period and then decreased in August, reflecting improved seasonal availability on local markets. Prices of black beans in August were slightly lower than one year earlier, while prices of maize were about 12 percent higher year-on-year in Port-au-Prince market as a consequence of the low production obtained in 2023. Prices of imported rice, wheat and vegetable oil remained nearly unchanged between April and August, reflecting the stability of the gourde against the United States dollar.

Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

This brief was prepared using the following data/tools:
FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance Sheet (CCBS) https://www.fao.org/giews/data-tools/en/ .

FAO/GIEWS Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Tool https://fpma.fao.org/ .

FAO/GIEWS Earth Observation for Crop Monitoring https://www.fao.org/giews/earthobservation/ .

Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) https://www.ipcinfo.org/ .