Transforming Haiti’s Landscapes into Engines of Food Security

Challenge

At project preparation, Haiti was the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), with 27 percent of rural farmrs in extreme poverty and facing acute food security. Agriculture was their main source of income, but chronic under-investment and poor resource management degraded the productive base. Moreover, unsustainable farming, driven by land pressure, low education, and economic hardship, combined with natural disasters' shocks, severely degraded watersheds and accelarated deforestation. 

Results

-  4,267 farmers (exceeding the target by 42 percent) adopted improved agricultural technology (38% women), more than 80 percent of these farmers gained better access to markets.

- 2,050 hectares are under sustainable landscape management practices, and 4 sub-watersheds have participatory plans developed. 

- A spatial decision support tool for climatic risk prevention and management has been applied to 21,968 hectares covered by the project.

- 112 farmer field schools have been established across the 4 supported sub-watersheds, providing training and supporting farmers and communities in the adoption of improved agricultural practices through the provision of improved technical packages.  2,800 farmers participated in these farmer fields schools (38% women). 

- 1,511 farmers (47% female), benefited from 20 matching grants that improved access to markets for local products. 

- 50 water tanks with 18m3 capacity were built, benefiting 250 vulnerable households.

- In response to the 2021 earthquake, 137,611 farmers received urgent production inputs and services under the contingent emergency response component, including 20,968 farmers provided with climate-resilient crops varieties/seeds.

World Bank Group Approach

Based on previous operations, the Bank promoted an integrated approach to addressing these challenges by combining sustainable land management, climate-resilient agriculture, and disaster risk reduction. The aim, to improve natural resources, address soil erosion and water retention capacity by promoting climate-smart production and practices, was adapted to the agro-ecological context and enhanced the capacity to generate sustainable incomes. The project encouraged active community participation. Participatory and investment plans for sub-watersheds were developed. A subsidy scheme provided improved technical input packages. Through Farmer Field Schools, farmers were familiarized with improved agricultural technologies and landscape management practices with beneficiaries selected through community participation. Significant positive impacts were obtained on agriculture and rural livelihoods, while protecting communities against risks of floods and landslides due to soil erosion, water runoff and extreme weather.

Contribution to World Bank Group Targets and Jobs

The project contributed to poverty reduction and climate action by helping farmers adopt sustainable landscapes management and agricultural practices that improved productivity and resilience. Through matching grants, it supported 20 sub-projects, improving access to finance for smallholder producers/enterprises, enhancing production quality and market linkages.

Additionally, 6,667 temporary jobs were created when providing farmers with agricultural incentives to access essential inputs/services, and 168 temporary jobs generated in Farmer Field Schools (11 young supervisors and 157 facilitators).

"Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and the 2021 earthquake severely damaged the irrigation system. With the financial support of the World Bank, the dam was repaired and rehabilitated, and water returned. Farmers started producing various crops, and production has increased significantly. One kilogram of beans sown produces at least 35 kilograms. — Michel Soy, Head of the Dory Smallholder’s Association."

Lessons Learned

To promote a resilient landscapes approach to address human and ecological vulnerabilities, it is important to have close coordination between agricultural and environmental authorities, invest in increasing environmental resilience, create climate-smart economic opportunities for beneficiaries and involve communities to participate in watershed protection.

To meet urgent livelihood needs while fostering long-term resilience and generating sustainable positive impacts, it is essential to address environmental drivers of fragility. In a context as fragile as Haiti, where climate change, natural hazards, political instability, and macroeconomic shocks converge, adaptability, flexibility, and rapid response mechanisms are critical to navigating evolving challenges.

Next Steps

Due to the current situation in the country, the Government of Haiti continues to face significant challenges. With strong strategic sectoral support and continuity, the Bank is financing two ongoing operations based on the TPR approach to enhance productivity, improve livelihoods and increase food security, particularly for rural households: the Emergency Resilient Agriculture for Food Security Project (PARSA) and TPR II. These projects aim to continue building and strengthening resilience for the poor, against the continuing political, economic and environmental risks. The Bank works with the Government of Haiti to promote climate-smart agriculture, support sustainable land management practices and production while creating job opportunities.