EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. The food crisis in Haiti, socio economic in origin and exacerbated by climate change, constitutes a violation of the right to food. In early 2016, it was estimated by the World Food Programme and the Government of Haiti that 3.6 million were food insecure and 1.5 million severely so. This represented more than 1,000,000 households, 1/3 of the 10.8 million population.
2. Haiti’s ability to feed its own people has been undermined by decades of underinvestment in agricultural development, poor infrastructure, poor natural resource management, political instability and acute deforestation. Climate change has increased its vulnerability to storms, hurricanes and droughts, aggravating environmental degradation and causing significant crop losses.
3. Government of Haiti policies on food security and climate change mitigation and adaptation have been sporadic, partial and uncoordinated, lacking in scale to address food insecurity at national level. Import subsidies have been prioritized over food production. As result, the vast majority of Haitian people, including farmers, have been insufficiently resourced, equipped and supported to face climactic challenges and ensure a steady supply of locally grown food.
4. The attention of Haitian parliament has itself been diverted by the long overdue elections and political instability. Since January 2015, the Executive Branch has ruled without any parliamentary oversight.
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This report first appeared on cwsglobal.org.