The socio-economic crisis and the consequences of the measures taken to limit the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, have worsened the food insecurity of vulnerable households living in the poor neighborhoods of some cities in the country. The restrictions due to the pandemic have resulted in pressure and loss of income sources for rural and urban households who live off informal daily work.

According to the rapid assessment of the impact of Covid-19 on Food security, livelihoods and agricultural production (SAMEPA, October 2020), the number of households in which no member had paid work was 10% before Covid-19 before increasing to 20% after the start of the pandemic in Haiti, March 19, 2020 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30319-haiti-health-origin-of-the-first-2-cases-of-covid-19-in-haiti.html

Urban and peri-urban agriculture is one of the avenues used by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to improve the food and nutritional security of vulnerable households in Haiti.

In support of the Government of Haiti, FAO has strengthened the capacity of 3,000 vulnerable households and provided them with agricultural inputs to initiate urban and peri-urban market gardening. The beneficiary urban households are thus distributed: 1,000 in Port-de-Paix (North-West); 1,000 in Jérémie (Grand'Anse); 500 in Fort-Liberté (North-East) and 500 in Ouanaminthe (North-East).

Among these beneficiaries, 2,030 (68%) are women heads of households and 281 (9.4%) are households with dependent people with disabilities. This falls within the framework of the implementation of the FAO response program which targets as a priority single people heads of vulnerable households as well as households with dependent people with disabilities, malnourished children under five and/or the elderly.

All these households received unconditional and unrestricted cash (equivalent to about US $100) for family food and payment of basic needs during the lean season while waiting for the vegetable harvest.

These activities were carried out with financial support from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Kingdom of Belgium.

HL/ HaitiLibre