In its latest Haiti Food Security Outlook, the international famine early warning system, FEWS NET, forecasts Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and Emergency (IPC Phase 4) food insecurity between October 2024 and May 2025 due to insecurity, internal displacement, inflation, and climate conditions.

Ongoing insecurity, including violence by armed groups, continues to disrupt supply chains and livelihoods, keeping prices of basic foods high. Internal displacement is putting additional pressure on host households. Year-on-year inflation is nearly 30 percent, with a 40 percent increase for food commodities and more than 50 percent increase for rice, Haiti’s staple food.

Furthermore, erratic weather conditions, in a context of rain-fed agriculture, affect agricultural production and harvests, reducing the availability of local products.

Displaced persons living in host sites in the conflict-affected Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Area (ZMPP) are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), only partially meeting their food needs, due to the loss of their livelihoods and income. More than 60% of displaced persons are in the communes of Port-au-Prince and Delmas. Food inflation worsens their ability to maintain adequate consumption, degrading their nutritional status.

FEWS NET estimates that the number of people in need of emergency food assistance will range from 2 million to 2.5 million people, peaking during the agricultural lean season beginning in April 2025. Only a portion of this population is likely to receive food assistance, and humanitarian access challenges related to insecurity and funding constraints are expected to significantly limit the delivery of assistance and the effectiveness of targeting and distribution.

Populations in areas of concern are those affected by fighting between armed groups that significantly disrupt their sources of income and food. These include those in Emergency (IPC Phase 4): internally displaced persons in camps in the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Area (ZMPP), pockets of households scattered across poor and very poor neighborhoods in the Port-au-Prince district and the commune of Cité Soleil. The district of Croix-des-Bouquet and the lower North-West, as well as the ZMPP are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).

49% of the analyzed population (11.2 million) are likely to experience high acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or higher)

24% Minimal : (IPC Phase 1)

Households are able to cover their basic food and non-food needs without engaging in atypical or unsustainable strategies to access food and income.

27% Stressed : (IPC Phase 2)

Households have minimally adequate food consumption but cannot meet some non-food expenses without engaging in stress coping strategies.

32% Crisis : (IPC Phase 3)

Households have food consumption deficits reflected in acute malnutrition at or above usual levels; or are marginally able to cover their essential food needs but only by disposing of their major livelihood assets or by employing crisis coping strategies.

18% Emergency : (IPC Phase 4)

Households have significant food consumption deficits reflected in very high acute malnutrition and excess mortality, or are able to reduce the extent of food deficits but only by using emergency coping strategies and liquidating their assets.

HL/ HaitiLibre