WFD 2025: FAO and the government of Haiti work together to transform rural potential into a driver of economic and social development

This year, World Food Day, celebrated under the theme “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future,” coincided with the 80th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), marking eight decades of joint commitment between the Organization and Haiti — one of its founding members — in support of food security, rural development and the sustainable management of natural resources.

This commemoration invites us to collectively reflect on Haiti’s present. More than half of the population — 5.7 million people — live in acute food insecurity, amid economic decline, recurring environmental disasters and the depletion of natural resources. In Haiti, more than one in ten people is currently internally displaced due to violence. According to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), this violence, once concentrated in the capital, is now spreading to rural areas — notably in Artibonite and the Centre — directly affecting farmers by limiting their access to fields and markets, with tangible effects on agrifood systems.

In the face of these challenges, however, the determination of the Haitian people remains strong. Haiti possesses all the human, natural and social resources needed to transform its agriculture into a driver of economic development, stability and dignity — particularly through the commitment of its farmers, and especially its women farmers.

More than 70 percent of farmers in Haiti are women. Rural women — the backbone of food production — face severe barriers to accessing land, credit and quality inputs. The International Day of Rural Women, celebrated on 15 October, is a reminder that the future of Haitian agriculture cannot be built without concrete action to fully integrate this immense driving force. Strengthening women’s participation in agricultural value chains and supporting the Madan Sara — the women traders who are the backbone of national food distribution — are key priorities.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) and the FAO work daily to transform this potential into a driver of economic and social development. In 2025, several FAO initiatives, in collaboration with MARNDR, provided direct support to nearly 70 000 people whose livelihoods depend on agriculture, helping them to preserve and restart production while generating broader impacts on communities — including in areas affected by insecurity, such as Artibonite, the Lower Central Plateau and the West.

Under the National School Feeding Programme — strongly supported by MARNDR and the World Food Programme (WFP) — more than 32 500 small farmers, organized into 219 agricultural groups, are ensuring that 70 percent of the meals served daily to 600 000 schoolchildren supported by WFP come directly from Haitian agriculture. This strengthens both children’s nutrition and the local economy. The initiative contributes to the government’s broader goal of reaching 1.5 million students from 2025 onward and achieving 100 percent local procurement for school meals by 2030. In the North and North-East, an integrated nutrition and local procurement programme, already funded with 10 million USD, will soon be expanded to other departments thanks to an additional USD 13 million, allowing more farmers to benefit from the valorization of national production.

Economic recovery and stronger agrifood systems also depend on public policies guided by a clear vision for agricultural and rural development. With FAO’s technical support and that of other partners, MARNDR is implementing the National Seed Policy, the National Food Sovereignty and Security and Nutrition Policy and Strategies, and the transformation of the National Coordination for Food Security (CNSA) into the National Office for Food Security and Nutrition (ONASAN).

On this symbolic day, MARNDR and FAO reaffirm their shared conviction: the fight against hunger is a collective responsibility, but its solution lies above all in the strength of the Haitian people and the know-how of local producers. By working hand in hand with rural communities, Haiti can turn its agriculture into a source of prosperity, stability and dignity — building a future where every family has access to healthy and sufficient food, and every farmer can live with dignity from their work.