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Haiti

Haiti: Hurricane Matthew Situation Report – 16 March 2017

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IN NUMBERS

1.55 million people food insecure of which 280 000 severely

2 out of 3 farmers have lost ¾ of their stocks

Food insecurity halved in the hardest-hit areas

USD 19.3 million still needed to support 700 000 people under the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP)

KEY POINTS

  • The number of people food insecure in the hardest-hit areas has decreased from 1 million to 400 000 people, according to the latest Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA), conducted by FAO, WFP and the National Commission on Food Security. In the departments of Sud and Grand’Anse, where immediate food and agricultural support was provided, the level of food insecurity has decreased from 79 to 41 percent and from 78 to 54 percent, respectively. Food insecurity is higher in the departments of North West (65 percent), Nippes (58 percent) and Grand’Anse (57 percent) and the coastal part of Artibonite (57 percent) and la Gonave (54 percent), which were not prioritized for emergency response following the preliminary assessment of mid-October 2016.

  • Haiti’s agricultural spring season which traditionally makes up 60 percent of Haiti’s annual production is the main source of food for rural households throughout the year. FAO is providing seeds and tools, as well as cash transfers, technical training and extension services to support farmers in the recovery of their agricultural production.

  • FAO has completed the distribution of seeds and tools to 27 050 households in the most affected departments for the implementation of the winter staple crop season and short-cycle horticultural crops.

  • FAO has started the distribution of seeds and tools to the 39 000 targeted households in the departments of South, Grand’Anse and Nord-Ouest for the spring season. Veterinary clinics are being set up and will reach 2 500 herder families. Fishing equipment will be distributed in the following weeks to 3 000 fishers. Cash-for-work will start next month for the rehabilitation of irrigated perimeters and watersheds, involving 3 267 households in the most affected areas by Hurricane Matthew.

  • Under the 2017 HRP, FAO requires USD 22.2 million1, of which USD 2.7 million has been received, to restore the livelihoods of 700 000 people, including vulnerable farmers, small-scale herders and fishers affected by the Hurricane, as well as vulnerable farmers affected by the 2015/16 droughts.