Agriculture remains at the heart of rural livelihoods in Haiti, providing income for most rural families and accounting for 66 percent of rural employment. However, the sector faces persistent challenges that deepen rural poverty¡ªan issue that affects up to 75 percent of low-income households, who often have minimal access to basic services.
A combination of chronic underinvestment in rural infrastructure, public programs, and natural resource management has steadily eroded Haiti's agricultural foundations. Unsustainable farming methods, driven by land pressure, limited education, and economic constraints, have further degraded by about 85 percent of the country¡¯s watersheds.
Natural disasters compound these difficulties. Successive crises¡ªincluding Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and the 2021 earthquake¡ªhave damaged vital irrigation channels in the southern region. ¡°As water is essential for crop cultivation, these events have made it nearly impossible for farmers to earn steady incomes,¡± explained Michel Soy, Head of the Dory Smallholder¡¯s Association. For many rural Haitians, subsistence farming remains their primary source of sustenance.
Investing in agriculture is crucial for combating poverty. In 2012, approximately 80 percent of households, reliant solely on agriculture, lived below the poverty line, much higher than the national average of 57 percent. Over the past decade, various factors¡ªincluding extreme weather, soil erosion, limited agricultural resources, and shrinking land availability¡ªhave led to a decline in Haiti¡¯s agricultural productivity, further straining farmers¡¯ livelihoods.
Building Resilience: A National Adaptation Strategy
Recognizing the intertwined social and ecological vulnerabilities in rural Haiti, policymakers adopted a comprehensive, landscape-level approach. In 2006, the Haitian government launched the National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA), pinpointing urgent climate risks and emphasizing the need to tackle watershed degradation and boost disaster preparedness as part of its 2010-2025 priorities.
This strategy addressed the impacts of climate change, including increased droughts, unpredictable rainfall, fragile soils, and worsening erosion and flooding. NAPA promoted building institutiTo address the root causes of rural poverty, the Haitian government, with financing and support from the World Bank, initiated the Resilient Productive Landscapes Project in Haiti. To address the root causes of rural poverty, the Haitian government, with financing and support from the World Bank, initiated the . This project empowers farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural and landscape management practices in targeted sub-watersheds, while improving vital infrastructure and teaching better farming techniques.
Key outcomes include:
- 4,267 farmers have adopted advanced agricultural technologies, with nearly 38 percent being women.
- 2,050 hectares are now managed using sustainable landscape practices.
- Four sub-watersheds have developed participatory management and investment plans.
- A climate risk decision support tool now covers 21,968 hectares that were under the project¡¯s scope.
- 112 farmer field schools have been established, training 2,800 farmers (almost 38 percent women) in practical, improved techniques.
- 50 family water tanks (18 m? each) benefit 250 vulnerable households.
- 1,511 farmers participated in 20 Matching Grant sub-projects designed to boost market access for local products, with women comprising 47 percent of beneficiaries.
In response to the 2021 earthquake, emergency distributions provided 20,968 farmers with climate-resilient seeds and crop varieties, and 21,490 farmers received urgent inputs and support services.
¡°As Haiti is experiencing one of the most challenging periods in recent history, the World Bank supports the government's priorities to strengthen agricultural infrastructure, protect the environment, and support local communities thereby improving resilience to climate risks, food security, and creating jobs¡±, said Anne-Lucie Lefebvre, World Bank Country manager, Haiti.
Improving irrigation has also been a focus. The project restored, cleaned, and reshaped 32,250 linear meters of canals in the South¡¯s five major irrigated areas. ¡°The irrigation channels were devastated by hurricanes and the earthquake, but following repairs, our productivity has significantly increased,¡± added Michel Soy.
