FAO emergency support helps vulnerable Haitian families produce food

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is delivering emergency food production support to some 13,000 vulnerable households, or approximately 65,000 people, across ten municipalities in the Artibonite, Centre and Ouest departments of Haiti, according to a press release. The initiative is funded by the Regional Humanitarian Pool Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean (RHPF LAC). It aims to restore local food production and address urgent needs in crisis-affected communities. Announced on 17 September 2026, the program marks a significant milestone in humanitarian response in Haiti. It seeks to place local families on a path toward self-sufficiency.

Haiti continues to face one of the world’s most severe food crises. Violence, economic instability, disrupted supply chains, and recurrent climate shocks have significantly reduced access to food. These pressures have also weakened production at the local level and rural livelihoods. According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, more than half of Haiti’s population is experiencing acute food insecurity. Timely humanitarian assistance remains essential to save lives and protect livelihoods.

Funded with more than $16 million through the RHPF LAC, the program will ultimately support 326,000 vulnerable people. Farming households in crisis-affected communities will receive over 205 tonnes of crop and vegetable seeds. They will also be provided with over 160,000 small livestock suited to local production and consumption systems. The livestock distribution comprises ducks, poultry, guinea fowls, rabbits, and goats. These will reach more than 29,394 households, enabling immediate access to proteins and animal-derived products.

Community engagement remains central to the intervention, with FAO working alongside affected communities from household identification through implementation.

“In humanitarian crises, emergency food production is a life-saving intervention that empowers vulnerable households to quickly produce food and reduce reliance on importations and repeated humanitarian assistance,” said Pierre Vauthier, FAO Representative in Haiti.

He emphasized that the distributions provide affected households with the tools and supplies they need most. Vauthier also noted that investing in local capacities is among the most effective responses to the food crisis. The campaign is being “implemented by Haitians for Haitians,” he highlighted.

FAO is implementing emergency food production funded through OCHA-managed Country-Based Pooled Funds in nine countries: Bangladesh, Chad, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Myanmar and the Syrian Arab Republic. These interventions provide rapid support to crisis-affected rural households. They enable communities to meet urgent food needs and maintain or restart food production during emergencies. The program helps reduce the adoption of negative coping strategies and strengthens household capacity. It also aims to end over-reliance on continued humanitarian assistance.