Haiti | World Food Programme

Haiti is the poorest country in the Latin America and the Caribbean region and among the poorest in the world.

Years of insecurity, violence and economic instability, combined with displacement, poor agricultural performance and climate shocks, have left millions of Haitians struggling to meet their food needs. The latest analysis projects that 6.35 million people will face acute food insecurity between March and June 2027, including almost 2 million at Emergency levels.

More than 1.5 million people have been forced from their homes, leaving many unable to work or grow their own food. In rural areas, farmers also face significant challenges, with insecurity disrupting agricultural and market supply chains and making it difficult to get produce to local markets.

Climate shocks are compounding these pressures. El Niño is bringing droughts and floods that are reducing harvests and affecting farmers' ability to prepare for the next planting season.

Against this backdrop, the World Food Programme works with the Government and communities to address immediate food needs, while strengthening the systems and livelihoods that can reduce vulnerability over the longer term.

What the World Food Programme is doing in Haiti

School meals: WFP supports the Ministry of Education in broadening and improving school meals in Haiti. WFP’s Home-Grown School Meals Programme has been expanded to further support the local economy and smallholder farmers, with 74 percent of children eating meals made from locally bought food.
Local agriculture and markets: Every month during the school year, WFP buys US$1.7 million worth of local food in Haiti to be used in the school meals programme. WFP works with over 170 OPAs (Organisations de Producteurs Agricoles) – located in 9 out of 10 departments – to source food from smallholder farmers, helping maximize local economic benefits for communities. In partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, WFP also provides capacity building to the OPAs, including technical training on storage and grain conservation, quality control and reduction of post-harvest losses. In addition, WFP subsidizes the set-up of processing facilities and assists with providing equipment.
Resilience building: WFP helps vulnerable communities meet immediate food needs while strengthening their ability to withstand climate and other shocks. This includes rehabilitating water-management infrastructure and rural roads, as well as providing micro-insurance to protect farmers against crop losses caused by drought or excessive rainfall. These activities help protect livelihoods, strengthen local agriculture and reduce vulnerability to future shocks.
Social protection and capacity strengthening: WFP supports the Government in strengthening the national social protection system. WFP supports the development of the social registry, a national vulnerability database, which covers 30 percent of the population and enables effective targeting and registration of vulnerable groups. On behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, WFP also facilitates monthly social cash transfers to the most vulnerable households – comprising pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls, children aged 6-59 months, and persons with disabilities in the Grand’Anse Department, covering over 134,000 people. As part of its support to the social protection system, WFP invests in improving assistance models, increasing the proportion of digital cash transfers from 3 percent in May 2022 to 73 percent by September 2024.
Emergency preparedness: WFP works with the Government to strengthen preparedness for climate shocks and other emergencies. This includes pre-positioning emergency food, strengthening early-warning systems and providing anticipatory cash transfers so vulnerable families can take action before a shock strikes. WFP also supports shock-responsive social protection, including the social registry and digitized cash transfers, and works with the Directorate of Civil Protection on SMS warnings ahead of storms.
Nutrition: WFP screens children for malnutrition at the community level, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, referring those in need of treatment to health centres, while also providing specialized nutritious food. WFP also offers nutrition education, through classes and counselling, to people living with HIV. Fifty schools were involved in a pilot programme to promote gender and nutrition among 3,000 students, over 4,000 parents and 12,000 community members, including through workshops and radio shows.

Publications

In focus

How a record-breaking El Niño could deepen global hunger

Story | 7 October 2026

5 facts about food security – and why they matter at UNGA

Story | 21 September 2026

Hope in Haiti: Lessons from the frontlines of a hunger crisis

Story | 16 June 2026

The cost of hunger vs. the power of funding: Part 2

Story | 15 January 2026

The cost of hunger vs. the power of funding

Story | 12 January 2026

Wars, airdrops and pythons: reflections from retiring WFP Chief of TV

Story | 23 December 2025

Partners and donors

WFP cannot fight global hunger and poverty alone. These are our partners and donors in Haiti:

Canada European Union France Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Germany

Japan Ministry of Education (MENFP) Ministry of Agriculture (MARNDR) Ministry of Health (MSPP) Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (MAST) National School Meals Programme (PNCS) National Food Security Coordination Agency (CNSA) Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs Switzerland UNICEF USA

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Operations in Haiti

View all operations

Contacts

Office

Programme Alimentaire Mondial, Juvenat 7, Pétion-Ville
Port-au-Prince
Haiti

Phone

+509 3791 2143

Fax

Email

wfp.haiti@wfp.org

For media inquiries

tanya.birkbeck@wfp.org

What the World Food Programme is doing in Haiti

School meals

Local agriculture and markets

Resilience building

Social protection and capacity strengthening

Emergency preparedness

Nutrition

Publications

Annual Country Reports - Haiti

Weathering the storm: What makes anticipating cyclones a success

Scaling up Anticipatory Action in Latin America and the Caribbean

Haiti, The Impacts of Cash for Work on Food Security and Gender Equality: Impact evaluation

2024 - WFP’s Support to Strengthening Social Protection Systems Around the Globe

Summary of evaluation evidence: WFP's emergency response