Hunger has reached unprecedented levels in Haiti, where around five million people – almost half the Haitian population – are now facing acute hunger and struggling to feed themselves, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis published this Friday.
“Haitians are on the brink – one person in two is hungry today. The increase in hunger is exacerbating the security crisis that is shaking the country. We need urgent action now – waiting to respond to the full scale of this situation is not an option,” said WFP Haiti Country Director Jean-Martin Bauer, in a statement.
As violence, soaring inflation and poor harvests collide, Haiti finds itself with the worst levels of food insecurity on record.
Recent attacks and violence perpetrated by armed groups have plunged Haiti into a dramatic security crisis, far beyond the capital Port-au-Prince, where armed groups control most of the city. More than 360,000 people have been displaced across the country since the start of 2024, affected by the violence, and are now struggling to gain access to a minimum of food.
Job and income losses affected two-thirds of the country’s families during the latest wave of violence in March, while insecurity is pushing up already high fuel and food prices. Between August 2023 and February 2024, the cost of a food basket rose by 22%, making food inaccessible for millions of Haitians. They are now forced to resort to desperate coping strategies, such as buying on credit and going into debt, selling animals, seeds and other goods in order to survive, the release points out.
According to the report, 4.97 million people are facing “crisis” or higher levels of acute food insecurity (IPC phases 3+), with 1.64 million facing “emergency” levels (IPC phase 4). The Artibonite Valley – the country’s breadbasket – is one of the worst-affected regions. Armed groups have taken possession of farmland and stolen crops. Other areas of concern include the West Department, the rural areas of Grand’Anse in the south of the country, and several poor districts of the capital, notably Croix des Bouquets and Cité Soleil, which experienced pockets of “catastrophic” hunger (IPC phase 5) at the end of 2022.
Although WFP operations continue in Haiti, violence and unrest have hampered the delivery of food and other humanitarian aid. Through local partner organizations, the WFP is helping people who have recently been displaced by the violence in Port-au-Prince. In the first two weeks of March, over 100,000 hot meals were provided to more than 23,000 people at 16 different sites. These hot meals represent essential support for families forced to flee their homes, says the WFP press release.
The WFP continues to provide school meals to children in the provinces, thanks to its decentralized supply chain and purchases of local food from Haitian family farmers. So far in March, 250,000 children have been fed in schools in Cap Haïtien, Gonaïves, Jérémie and Miragoâne, according to the UN agency.
Humanitarian operations in Haiti are cruelly short of funds, and the WFP needs $95 million for the next six months. Now more than ever, donor support is needed to enable the WFP to pursue its programs and continue to serve the most vulnerable Haitians caught up in this crisis, says the agency.