March 10, 2004

Haiti: Political Unrest Could Challenge Daily Food Supply  

The food situation in Haiti is extremely fragile. Most city dwellers do not have the capacity to store perishable goods, so every day or every other day they most obtain food. People in the countryside grow most of their own food; however,  if large scale violence resumes or transportation is disrupted, then getting food to the city dwellers will be difficult.

Overview  

The Republic of Haiti occupies the rugged, westernmost third of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic.  The areas of Haitian crop production away from the cities will not be greatly stressed by the civil unrest; however, distribution of food in the cities will be disrupted to an undetermined degree.  Roads outside of large towns are gravel or worse. If transportation arteries into communities are blocked or too dangerous to travel, or marketplaces damaged, the general population’s access to fresh food may be limited. Well-to-do members of the community are able to store food to sustain them for a few days; but most city dwellers have no means of storing perishable goods. Backyard gardens and window boxes, already a key element of most Haitians daily life, will become critical if violence places fragile food sources at greater risk. A significant portion of the city population earns its keep day-to-day; where there is no day work, there is no income, hence no capacity to purchase what little food may available in the local marketplace.

Agriculture Today

Haiti is among the world’s most poverty-stricken nations. Haitian towns and cities continue to swell as the population of 8 million moves from rural areas seeking better opportunities. Despite that accelerating population shift, participation in agriculture remains the main source of income and/or food for an estimated 70 percent of the population.  This concentration of labor in agriculture will continue as there are few viable alternatives for the workforce of about 4 million, outside of fishing.

Agriculture provides a quarter of the gross domestic product in most years; fishing and forestry provide another 7 percent.  Corporate agriculture is present, but only a small segment of the Haitian population can afford to purchase its products. The division of family property over time means many individual plots are barely large enough to feed the owner’s family in a good year.  With little crop to sell, income from production steadily declines, making it difficult to obtain quality seed and inputs; hence, income from production declines a bit more. Some non-government assistance organization estimates place Haitian household annual income today at less than $200--worse still for households headed by women.  This cycle of decline is worsened through the years by droughts, tropical storms, failed government initiatives, and corruption.  Goods for other markets must be cultivated, difficult to do given Haiti’s economic straits.

A mountainous terrain and insufficient water supplies are Haiti's first barriers to agricultural prosperity.  Mountains influence the frequency and volume of precipitation received across the country, and the areas where the grade of the slope more easily lends itself to crop cultivation may be unsuitable for other reasons. For example, the Artibonite River basin is one area with a history of successful farming, as annual rainfall and the river have been reliable sources of water. However, declining soil vitality, salt, and sediment are issues in the Artibonite basin, and short term weather trends can be troublesome (see rainfall and temperature graphs). Surveys have indicated that the potential for erosion on Haiti's hill sides make more than  half the territory unsuitable for any agricultural activity beyond trees and pasture.  A ready market for lumber (precious woods, fuel) and secure employment provided by logging operations drove the deforestation of Haiti to such an extreme that large, mature tree stands are no longer the rule. Absent trees and lush grasses, soil erosion is now widespread, and the threat of flash floods is constant.  Estimates of land currently under cultivation range from 10 to 32 percent; there is no debate that the amount of land being productively farmed is falling rapidly. The steep slopes result in rapid runoff during steady rain or floods, and promote the collection of debris (boulders, gravel) in cultivated fields, canals and roads.

Fishing

An estimated 10,000 seamen seek a livelihood on the waters immediately surrounding Haiti. Insufficient capital to upgrade or even properly maintain their vessels prevents seamen from plying deeper waters to increase their catch. Conch, crab, scampi, and shrimp are the main catches. Indications are that not enough is being done in Haiti to regulate fishing and to maintain the quality of the fish population. Runoff from urban centers and manufacturing sites demand immediate attention. Properly supported and marketed, Haiti’s fishing industry would quickly become a major engine powering the country’s economic recovery.  As the current maritime dispute between Caribbean neighbors Barbados and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago illustrates, the pressure on fishing waters across the region is increasing as consumption is out-stripping catch replacement.

Crop Production

Subsistence agriculture is the norm in rural and urban Haiti, but does not meet the population’s requirements.  Cattle, goats, pigs, chickens, guinea fowl are among the animals commonly maintained.  Land cultivation generally centers on what can be consumed nearby, either sold within driving distance of the field or eaten on the homestead.  Banana and plantain production are revenue sources, as are sugarcane, coffee, and sisal. Rice, sorghum, corn, beans (red and black), cassava, and several fruits are both sold and eaten on the farm.  Other crops are grown as spice, or for medicinal or religious uses.  Both large and small enterprises suffer from the absence of a national system of  paved roads to connect fields to distribution points. Despite efforts by numerous international assistance organizations, mechanization has not been widely adopted by Haitian agriculture, nor have high tech cultivation practices. For example, sowing in any season generally is contingent upon having saved seeds from the previous season; improved varieties seem out of reach of the typical farmer.  Because credit is seldom available, manure spread with handheld field implements, rather than some type of manufactured chemical, is the normal method of crop fertilization.  The effectiveness of irrigation systems varies from location to location, as no countrywide program has been successful. Little public and private funding is available to subsidize agriculture and improve agricultural infrastructure.

Previous PECAD Updates 

January 16, 2004 Caribbean: Tropical Storm Odette Causes Little Damage in Caribbean

May 29, 2003 Caribbean: Jamaican Farmers Pause to Assess Storm Damage After Heavy Rainfall

Visit Crop Explorer for more information on weather, soils, and crops.

For more information contact Ron White
 of  the Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division, FAS at (202) 690-0137.