Key Message Update: Escalating conflict worsening acute food insecurity

Escalating conflict worsening acute food insecurity in Haiti Key Messages Haiti - Key Message Update March - September 2026 Acute food insecurity will remain widespread in Haiti through the end of the lean season (February-June), with Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes across most of the country and Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes concentrated in the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Area (ZMPP), particularly among internally displaced persons (IDPs) and poor households affected by violence. These households face significant consumption deficits and are resorting to negative coping strategies that severely erode livelihoods, including begging, increased reliance on precarious or high-risk activities (including illicit activities), extreme reductions in essential non-food expenditures, and the accumulation of unsustainable debt. Persistent insecurity continues to drive large-scale displacement and disrupt livelihoods. Recent attacks in Boucan-Carré (Plateau Central) displaced around 4,500 people, bringing the total number of IDPs to over 1.45 million. Additional attacks were reported in Artibonite on March 28 and 29, particularly in Jean-Denis, where individuals were reportedly killed by members of the “Grand Grif” gang controlling the area. Control of roadways by armed groups limits trade flows, reduces income-earning opportunities, and sustains high dependence on markets, especially in the ZMPP, Artibonite, and Centre. Rising global fuel prices, linked to tensions in the Middle East, are expected to drive high inflation. Given Haiti’s strong dependence on imports of food, fuel, and agricultural inputs (fertilizers), any increase in global oil prices is likely to translate into higher domestic transport and distribution costs, leading to a generalized increase in food prices. Rising costs of agricultural inputs, particularly urea, are expected to negatively affect smallholder farmers and spring agricultural production. The government’s capacity to cushion this shock through subsidies appears limited; it is likely that only partial mitigation measures will be implemented, transferring a significant share of costs to consumers. As a result, purchasing power for poor households, displaced populations, and urban populations dependent on markets will be further weakened. The spring agricultural season is beginning with the first rains, but in an unfavorable economic and security context. Access to inputs remains limited due to high prices, logistical constraints linked to insecurity, and low levels of support to the sector. In some areas (Artibonite, Centre, Ouest), insecurity also restricts access to land and labor, limiting income-earning opportunities for farming households. Faced with these constraints, FEWS NET is a United States Government-funded activity. The content of this report does not necessarily reflect the view of the United States Government. FEWS NET Haiti haiti@fews.net fews.net/latin-america-and-caribbean/haiti Recommended citation: FEWS NET. Haiti Key Message Update March - September 2026: Escalating conflict worsening acute food insecurity in Haiti, 2026. Key Message Update This Key Message Update provides a high-level analysis of current acute food insecurity conditions and any changes to FEWS NET's latest projection of acute food insecurity outcomes in the specified geography. Learn more here. farmers may reduce cultivated areas, which would negatively affect harvest prospects and maintain pressure on food availability and access. * FEWS NET classification is IPC-compatible with limited exceptions. IPC-compatible analysis follows key IPC protocols but does not necessarily reflect the consensus of national food security partners. As of IPC 3.0, the IPC no longer assesses the impact of food assistance on classification and thus no longer maps the (!). However, FEWS NET continues to produce food security maps inclusive of the (!) as well as maps compatible with IPC 3.0/3.1, which include the mapping of food security assistance bags. In rare cases, FEWS NET classification is IPC-aligned but not IPC-compatible. IPC-aligned analysis is evidence-based but some types of evidence required for IPC-compatibility were not available. Key Message Update March - September 2026 Famine Early Warning Systems Network 2