By Emily Thompson
The number of people in Haiti facing acute hunger has now reached half of the country’s population.
A gang-fueled social and political crisis in Haiti has swollen the ranks of those suffering severe hunger in recent months, with an estimated 5.4 million Haitians on the verge of starvation.
At least 6,000 residents of the Caribbean island nation now suffer catastrophe-levels of hunger, according to data released last month by global hunger watchdog Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
The latest IPC report covers August 2024-February 2025 and was released by Haiti’s Coordination Nationale de la Sécurité Alimentaire (CNSA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). It provides a common scale to measure the severity and magnitude of acute hunger.
According to World Food Programme, humanitarian food agencies and NGOs in Haiti are short $230 million to implement programs until the end of the year – while families displaced by this year’s surge in violence are on the frontline of rising hunger. Humanitarian organizations continue to face challenges in accessing communities living in areas controlled by armed groups.
Violent attacks and fighting linked to armed groups spiked in Port-au-Prince in early 2024, forcing shipping and airport operations to temporarily grind to a halt.
Hundreds of thousands of people have forced from their homes in search of safety; in the past six months the number of IDPs has nearly doubled to more than 700,000. Many IDPs have taken shelter in nearly 100 sites across the capital, including in schools and public buildings. IDP sites are often overcrowded and
unsanitary, creating a high risk of disease spread, while traumatized families who have seen their incomes and livelihoods vanish struggle to buy enough food amid spiralling prices.
And according to Action Against Hunger, Haiti imports between 50% to 85% of its food – depending on the crop, the season, and the situation on the ground – leaving millions of people vulnerable to inflation and price volatility in international markets.
Since January 2024, the price of a food basket in the country’s capital Port-au-Prince has soared by 21%. (By contrast, U.S. food price inflation has increased by 2.2% from July 2023 to July 2024.)
Armed gangs control up to 90% of Port-au-Prince, blocking food, fuel, and other essentials from reaching markets or being distributed to areas beyond the capital, including the northwest.
Action Against Hunger has been in Haiti since 1985, working to reduce hunger and improve health through programs that range from nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), gender protection and creating more sustainable livelihoods that can prevent hunger and promote well-being.
But under-funding has meant a severe lack of treatment capacity.
The solution in Haiti is two-fold.
The violent gangs and armed groups must be confronted and brought under control and power must be returned to a central government.
The restoration of law-and-order hinges on addressing the deep-rooted political instability and economic inequalities that have plagued Haiti for years. This requires governance reforms that promote transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness.
The international community can and should play a supportive role in facilitating dialogue between political factions and civil society groups to create a more stable political environment.
By helping to strengthen law enforcement and reinforcing security institutions, countries can help Haiti curb corruption, which will directly reduce violence.
To overcome famine, the country needs to prioritize food security through strengthening its agricultural sector, encouraging local production, and creating a sustainable system of food distribution.
International aid can provide immediate relief, but the focus should be on empowering Haitian farmers with resources, knowledge, and access to markets. Investments in infrastructure, such as irrigation systems and better transportation networks, would help boost productivity and ensure food reaches all regions of the country, even during times of crisis.
By partnering with international organizations and NGOs, Haiti will receive immediate assistance, but the country should also prioritize capacity-building so that Haitians can take ownership of their future.
Long-term solutions must be centered on fostering resilience, both in terms of food systems and governance, to ensure that Haiti can withstand future shocks, whether they come in the form of natural disasters, political turmoil, or economic disruptions.
Image: Pixabay
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