Haiti’s government and FAO call on development partners and investors to support agroforestry value chains

The Haitian government has called on international partners and investors to support its US$35.7 million agricultural investment programme, centred on coffee and complemented by cocoa, roots and tubers to strengthen their production, processing and marketing. Presented at the 2026 Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum, organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, the strategy comes at a critical time, as more than 5.8 million people — over half of Haiti’s population — face acute food insecurity. Investing in domestic agricultural production and stronger value chains is essential to improving food security and creating economic opportunities amid the country’s prolonged humanitarian crisis.

Despite a decade of negative growth, Haiti’s agricultural sector remains a pillar of the economy, accounting for around 20 per cent of GDP and employing approximately half of the country’s workforce. Amid economic contraction, recurrent natural disasters, and environmental degradation, the sector holds significant untapped potential to strengthen domestic food production, reduce dependence on imports and expand exports. Targeted investment can help unlock this potential, support rural livelihoods and foster more inclusive economic growth.

“Investing in Haiti today is an urgent contribution to the country’s recovery, stability and resilience. While humanitarian assistance remains indispensable, it cannot, on its own, rebuild productive capacities, restore markets or create the livelihoods needed for sustainable recovery. Investing in agriculture is therefore essential to restoring economic opportunities, strengthening resilience and laying the foundations for a more sustainable future,” said Orellana Halkyer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America.

Led by Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR), with support from FAO and aligned with Haiti’s Hand-in-Hand approach, the 2026–2031 strategy aims to unlock the country’s agricultural potential by building on its diverse agroecological landscapes, traditional agroforestry practices and rich coffee and cocoa genetic diversity. Its integrated approach brings together coffee, cocoa, and roots and tubers — with coffee as the anchor value chain and cocoa, roots and tubers as complementary components — to combine opportunities for higher-value production and export growth with domestic food supplies and income generation for farming households.

To achieve these objectives, the proposed US$35.7 million investment programme will scale up proven agroforestry models, expand processing capacity and renewable energy infrastructure, and improve producers’ access to finance, markets and digital traceability systems. The programme envisages ten territorial clusters covering 3,000 hectares of coffee agroforestry, complemented by 650 hectares of cocoa and approximately 1,000 hectares of improved food crop gardens. By strengthening connections between production centres, processing facilities and buyers, it aims to improve market access, enhance product quality and enable producers to capture a greater share of the value generated along agricultural value chains.

Haiti’s proximity to the Dominican Republic and the United States and other Caribbean countries, alongside demand from the Haitian diaspora, offers opportunities to expand agricultural exports and attract investment. By strengthening links between producers, cooperatives, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and buyers, the strategy aims to create economic opportunities for rural communities, generate employment and foster more competitive and sustainable agricultural value chains.

With agriculture employing around half of Haiti’s workforce and rural communities disproportionately affected by poverty, producers, cooperatives and SMEs are central to the programme’s approach. The programme is expected to benefit 9,300 households — approximately 46,500 people — and generate around 1,520 jobs and member positions across 87 processing units and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, helping to strengthen rural livelihoods and promote inclusive economic growth.

Women, who account for an estimated up to 70 percent of Haiti’s agricultural workforce, are central to these efforts. Improving their access to land, productive assets, finance, leadership opportunities, technical services and remunerative markets, alongside targeted opportunities for young people, will be essential to ensuring that the benefits of agricultural investment contribute to more inclusive and resilient rural development.

The Haitian government invites development partners and investors to seize this opportunity to support the country’s agricultural transformation. Strategic investment in coffee, cocoa, and roots and tubers value chains can help restore productive capacities, strengthen food security and connect Haitian producers to new markets. By mobilising resources and expertise today, partners can help turn Haiti’s agricultural potential into lasting economic opportunities, resilient rural livelihoods and sustainable growth.