(2024-Q3) Haïti : Note de synthèse de l'évaluation DIEM-Suivi, Cycle 6 (juillet 2024)

Haiti Executive brief of the DIEM-Monitoring assessment Round 6 (July 2024) Escalating violence and insecurity continue to seriously impact food security and livelihoods in Haiti This executive brief presents key points and recommendations from the DIEM-Monitoring assessment conducted in Haiti in July 2024. © FAO The data collection took place from 13 June to 10 July 2024. The survey covered all 10 departments in the country and reached 2 700 households through computer-assisted telephone interviews. The data are representative at department level and at several communal levels within the metropolitan area of the capital, Port au-Prince. KEY POINTS • • • Violence and political unrest that escalated across Haiti during the first quarter of 2024, particularly in Ouest department and the HT04 livelihood zone (rice production basin) of Artibonite, have severely disrupted livelihoods by making access to workplaces and markets difficult, and exacerbating food insecurity and income instability. As in the previous round, conducted in January 2024, households involved in agricultural production have continued to have better food security outcomes compared to non-agricultural households according to the household hunger scale (HHS). Agricultural households without livestock had higher food insecurity (measured by HHS and the livelihood coping strategy index) compared to those with livestock. This trend, consistent with previous findings, • • suggests that providing small livestock to households without animals could help stabilize food security. Additionally, among agricultural households, those with casual farm labour as their main source of income were the most food-insecure, and should be one of the groups prioritized for cash and food assistance. The catastrophic consequences of natural disasters, such as droughts and hurricanes, have had repercussions on agricultural households, particularly in Grand’Anse, Nippes, Sud, Sud-Est and Nord-Ouest. According to the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), the level of prevalence of household food insecurity remains very alarming with 42 percent of households having experienced recent severe food insecurity, and 84 percent recent moderate or severe food insecurity. Figure 1. Haiti agricultural calendar JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Rainy season Hurricane season CROP CALENDAR Maize and rice* (first harvest) Maize and rice* (second harvest) Maize and rice* (third harvest) Sorghum Lean period Sowing *major food crop Growing Harvesting Source: FAO. 2023. GIEWS – Global Information and Early Warning System Country Briefs: Haiti. In: FAO, 14 October 2024. Rome. [Cited 27 August 2024]. https://www.fao.org/giews/countrybrief/country.jsp?code=HTI Drought and hurricane season threatening livelihoods Households in Haiti face production difficulties due to environmental factors as droughts, hurricanes and other climatic shocks impact livelihoods. According to 90 percent of all households affected by drought, droughts have become more frequent and/or intense over the past five years. Households reported drought most frequently in the southern departments, including Grand’Anse (20 percent), Nippes (19 percent), Sud (18 percent) and Sud-Est (16 percent). These departments, except Grand’Anse, have seen a large increase in households reporting drought since January 2024. Most crop producers (70 percent) reported that they depend on rain for irrigation. Lack of irrigation has been the primary production difficulty reported across all DIEM rounds in Haiti, making crop producers’ livelihoods particularly vulnerable to drought. Since January 2024, lack of irrigation increased by nearly 6 percentage points. Lack of irrigation has been associated with expected reduced harvest across all DIEM rounds.1 The general crop production prospects show a mixed outlook, with a significant proportion of producers reporting expected changes in their yields. Thirty-eight percent of producers expected to harvest more than before, while 40 percent anticipated harvesting less. Five percent expected their harvest to remain the same, while 17 percent expressed uncertainty, indicating possible unpredictability in crop production this season. Households involved in both crop and livestock production were among the most affected by drought, and were more affected by drought in the sixth round compared to the fifth (16 compared to 21 percent). Households also reported hurricanes, particularly in Sud-Est (16 percent), Nord-Ouest (14 percent), Sud (12 percent) and Nippes (12 percent). Agricultural households that reported hurricanes had more production difficulties than those that were not exposed. Agricultural households that reported drought were found to be more food-insecure than those that did not report drought.2 1 There is a significant association, as demonstrated by chi-square tests, between lack of irrigation and the expectation of reduced harvests in all rounds except the current one. 2 This difference is only descriptive and not statistically significant according to the chi-square test. 2 Violence and insecurity Overall, 49 percent of all households in Ouest department were affected by violence and insecurity (Figure 2). The communes of Tabarre (69 percent), Cité Soleil (68 percent), Delmas (64 percent) and Port-au-Prince (63) were particularly affected. Artibonite was the second most impacted department and the HT04 livelihood zone was especially impacted with 32 percent of all households reporting violence and insecurity. Figure 2. Top four shocks reported in each department (percentage of respondent households) Artibonite Centre Grand’Anse Nippes Nord Nord-Est Nord-Ouest Ouest Sud Sud-Est 0% 10% 20% 30% Violence, insecurity or conflict Sickness or death of household member(s) Drought Hurricane Source: FAO. 2024. Data in Emergencies: Haiti assessment results (July 2024). [Accessed on 27 August 2024]. https://data-in-emergencies-hqfao.hub.arcgis.com/pages/monitoring-country-specific. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. 3 40% 50% Violence and insecurity have had an impact on accessing workplaces, particularly in Cité Soleil (49 percent) and Delmas (46 percent). Households also reported that the markets have become more difficult to access, particularly in Tabarre (22 percent) and Cité Soleil (19 percent). Households in Tabarre (7 percent) and Delmas (6 percent) also most frequently reported that markets were nonfunctional or insufficiently supplied, while deterioration of household goods was most frequent in Carrefour (21 percent) and Port‑au-Prince (20 percent). In Ouest department, 38 percent of households were hosting an internally displaced person (IDP). Tabarre and Port‑au‑Prince were the communes with most households hosting IDPs (47 and 46 percent, respectively). Ouest department also had the highest rate of households who have had a household member migrate, with the most in Port-au-Prince (42 percent), Tabarre (32 percent) and Delmas (29 percent). Those with permanent residency had better food security outcomes for all indicators compared to IDPs, returnees, refugees and recent migrants. In Ouest department, and at national level, those who experienced violence reported that they had a decrease in their main source of income more frequently than those who did not experience violence/insecurity (65 compared to 53 percent).3 Port-au-Prince is the commune which reported an income decrease most frequently in the country, with 71 percent of households reporting a decrease in their main source of income in the past three months, followed by Cité Soleil (60 percent) and Artibonite HT04 livelihood zone (rice production basin) (58 percent). Similar to the fifth round, non-agricultural households continued to be the most affected by violence. However, agricultural households have also been affected: 36 percent reported difficulties reaching their workplace, while 17 percent struggled to access the market. Among crop producers who faced production difficulties, 31 percent attributed these challenges to violence. Households that suffered a reduction in their main source of income in the three months preceding the survey also faced worse food security outcomes compared to those whose income remained stable, and a larger proportion of agricultural households experienced an income decrease compared to non-agricultural households. These trends are consistent across all rounds. Migration and remittances Twenty-three percent of all households have had a member migrate, either abroad or to another part of Haiti. In agricultural households, the majority of those who migrated (53 percent) did so due to a lack of employment opportunities, while in non-agricultural households, the majority migrated because of violence and insecurity (52 percent). Forty-five percent of all households received remittances from abroad or within Haiti. Households receiving remittances, especially from abroad, had better food security outcomes than households that did not receive remittances. Sixty-three percent of households receiving remittances used them to buy food. Food security Nearly all households (91 percent) resorted to coping strategies (2 percentage points more than last round, particularly driven by an increase in begging). The data show high levels of crisis or emergency livelihood coping strategies (Figure 3) and these levels have been consistently high across all rounds (ranging from 89 to 96 percent). While these actions may be necessary in the short term, they are 3 This relationship is significant according to the chi-square test. 4 harmful to livelihoods and diminish the households’ ability to manage food insecurity in the future. FIES revealed alarming levels of food insecurity among households, with 42 percent experiencing severe recent food insecurity, and 84 percent experiencing recent moderate or severe food insecurity (Figure 4). These high prevalence rates have remained relatively consistent across multiple survey rounds. Figure 3. Households adopting crisis or emergency coping strategies in July 2024 (percentage of respondent households) Round 6, July 2024 Households adopting crisis or emergency coping strategies (LCSI) At l a n t ic Ocean Nord-Ouest <70% Figure 4. Prevalence of recent moderate or severe household food insecurity (FIES) Round 6, July 2024 Prevalence of recent moderate or severe household food insecurity (FIES) Atlan t i c O cea n Nord-Ouest 60–80% 70–75% Nord >75% 80–100% Nord Nord-Est Nord-Est Artibonite Artibonite Centre Centre Ouest Ouest C a ri b b ea n sea Cari bbean s ea Grande-Anse Ouest Nippes Sud Grande-Anse Ouest Nippes Sud-Est 0 Sud 25 km Sud-Est 0 25 km Note: Refer to the disclaimer on page 6 for the names and boundaries used in this map. Source: FAO. 2024. Data in Emergencies: Haiti assessment results (July 2024). [Accessed on 27 August 2024]. https://data-in-emergencies-hqfao.hub.arcgis.com/pages/monitoring-country-specific. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. The departments of Nord-Ouest – particularly within the HT01 livelihood zone (maize and charcoal production) – Artibonite, Grand’Anse, Nippes and the urban area of Ouest were among the most food-insecure. HHS was generally lower across all departments this round compared to January 2024. However, these departments continued to be among the most food-insecure. Only 24 percent of households experienced little to no hunger in the household, 51 percent had moderate hunger and 25 percent experienced severe hunger. most food-insecure according to HHS, suggesting that owning livestock may play an important role in a household’s resilience to food insecurity. Among agricultural households, those with casual farm labour as their main source of income were the most food-insecure. In addition, structural characteristics were associated with food insecurity (female-headed households and households with children under five) suggesting that the least well-off segments of the population have been more largely affected. As in the last round, non-agricultural households and households engaged solely in crop production were the Action points Provide households in immediate need with cash or vouchers to access food to save lives and protect livelihoods – particularly in Artibonite, Grand’Anse, Nippes, Nord Ouest (especially livelihood zone HT01) and Ouest (especially Port‑au-Prince, Tabarre and Cité Soleil communes). Agricultural households who work with casual farm labour as their main source of income should also be prioritized. 5 Small livestock should be provided to households without animals in order to build resilience against shocks and food insecurity. In addition to addressing immediate needs to protect lives, it is crucial to support agricultural livelihoods, particularly before and during the growing season. Table 1. Priority interventions based on reported production difficulties and needs (by department) Priority intervention Department HHS Food distribution Cash distribution Crop infrastructure* Crop inputs Veterinary services or inputs* Artibonite 2.68 High High High High Moderate Centre 2.48 Moderate High High Very high Low Grand’Anse 2.59 High Very high Low/moderate High Low Nippes 2.59 High Very high Moderate High Low Nord 2.48 Moderate High Moderate High High Nord-Est 2.56 Moderate/high High High Very high Very high Nord-Ouest 2.76 High High Moderate High High Sud 2.45 Moderate/high High High Very high Moderate Sud-Est 2.50 High Very high Moderate Very high Moderate Ouest 2.61 High High High High Low *Low sample size can result in high margin of error Ensuring timely and adequate supply of inputs will support production, and increase income and food availability in all departments, especially Centre, Nord-Est, Sud and Sud-Est (Table 1). Supporting local production and trade can reduce reliance on imported goods and mitigate the impact of violence on agriculture. Improving local agricultural infrastructure and supporting community-level production of inputs may alleviate the effects of market inaccessibility, particularly in Grand’Anse, Sud and Nord-Est. Strengthen the development of water management and irrigation systems to increase harvests and support agricultural livelihoods in areas most affected by drought in the southern departments, particularly Grand’Anse, Nippes, Sud and Sud-Est. FAO Representation in Haiti FAO-HT@fao.org www.fao.org/haiti | @FAOHaiti Port-au-Prince, Haiti The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Some rights reserved. This work is available under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO licence Office of Emergencies and Resilience Data-in-emergencies@fao.org data-in-emergencies.fao.org | @FAOEmergencies Rome, Italy Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations © FAO, 2024 CD3649EN/1/12.24 This brief is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of FAO and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States of America Government.