The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) said help is needed to curb an “alarming” rise of food insecurity in Haiti.
In a statement yesterday, the FAO said “Since February 2024, escalating violence and increased population displacements have significantly reduced agricultural production and disrupted markets, leaving half of Haiti’s population in acute hunger.
“Nearly five million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity and around 125,000 children suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
“FAO is calling on the international community to secure US$48 million under the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan, to assist 608,000 people with emergency agriculture activities.”
Director of the FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience Rein Paulsen said “FAO remains committed to providing urgent agricultural support for the upcoming planting seasons, but additional funding is needed to save lives, prevent hunger and famine, and help vulnerable populations restore their livelihoods amidst unprecedented violence and displacement.”
Director Rein Paulsen of the FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience, along with Adoniram Sanches, FAO’s Subregional Coordinator for Mesoamerica, visited Haiti to support the incoming FAO Representative, Pierre Vauthier in bolstering international cooperation and rising awareness on the dire humanitarian situation on the ground.
During their visit, FAO officials met with Prime Minister Garry Conille, as well as Agriculture Minister Vernet Joseph and Environment Minister Moïse Fils Jean Pierre. They also held meetings with representatives from USAID, the World Bank, the European Union, and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), as well as other UN agencies and programs.
The FAO said agriculture remains a critical lifeline for 75 per cent of the people affected by food insecurity in Haiti.
Providing crisis-affected households, including internally displaced people and host communities, with urgent emergency agricultural support is essential for survival, and to boost food production and restore their livelihoods.
However, the FAO said insufficient funding remains a critical obstacle.
“The cost of inaction is high since affected population will be more vulnerable with increased humanitarian assistance needs. Not investing now in agriculture emergencies and resilience will cost more.
“Evidence from 2023 FAO interventions show that an investment of US$480 can support a family of five people to grow staple food for up to six months, and an investment of US$200 provided 100 grams of seed, and enabled households to produce on average ten different types of nutritious vegetables worth around US$2,500 on the local market.”
 said help is needed to curb an “alarming” rise of food insecurity in Haiti.){kind=link}