Wednesday, October 14, 2026, faced with a food crisis that affects 5.8 million people in Haiti, Agronomist Marcelin Aubourg, Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) on the sidelines of the World Food Forum in Rome, spoke with Rein Paulsen, Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), around a crucial issue, mobilizing more financing to revive national production, protect the livelihoods of vulnerable households and strengthen the country's agricultural resilience.

During his bilateral meeting with Rein Paulsen, at FAO headquarters in Rome, Minister Aubourg emphasized the need to intensify emergency agricultural interventions and consolidate resilience mechanisms in the face of food crises, insecurity and population displacements.

In his plea, he stressed the importance of preserving the country's productive capacities, while approximately 5.8 million people in Haiti face acute food insecurity, according to data from the Integrated Food Security Classification Framework (IPC) for the period from March to June 2026.

"If food assistance remains essential to meet the immediate needs of the populations, it must also be accompanied by interventions allowing farmers to resume their activities, maintain their production and preserve their means of subsistence," underlined the Minister.

This approach requires in particular better access to seeds, tools and agricultural inputs, increased support for livestock farming as well as the rehabilitation of productive infrastructure. The restoration of livelihoods linked to fishing is also among the priority areas of intervention, when security conditions permit.

Strengthening financing is also another major area that was discussed. Minister Dubourg expressed his recognition for the mobilization of internal resources from the Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER) which made it possible to finance the Boosting agricultural production for better food security in Haiti project. According to the Minister, this support represents a lever to support national agricultural production and contribute to improving food security in a context marked by the scale of humanitarian needs.

However, apart from the funding already mobilized, the tenant of the MARNDR pleads in favor of increased commitment from technical and financial partners. The challenge is to ensure more predictable resources to support emergency interventions, promote the recovery of agricultural households and sustainably strengthen the resilience of production systems.

Haitian advocacy is also part of the FAO Emergency and Resilience Plan for Haiti 2026-2028. This framework offers guidelines to strengthen support for vulnerable households and support the continuity of agricultural activities despite crises.

The Minister highlighted the importance of an approach that goes beyond the immediate response to emergencies, by integrating preparation for droughts, floods and hurricanes, as well as anticipatory actions intended to protect livelihoods before the occurrence of major natural hazards.

Such an approach would make it possible to gradually reduce dependence on humanitarian assistance, while consolidating the capacities of producers and communities to cope with successive shocks.

To give a concrete follow-up to the exchanges, the MARNDR wishes to set up a joint technical monitoring mechanism with the FAO. This should make it possible to define priority areas and sectors, specify financing needs and develop a common proposal intended to mobilize additional resources from donors.

In Rome, the Minister's plea highlighted an imperative which is to make humanitarian support a lever for relaunching national production, while strengthening the capacities of the agricultural sector to contribute sustainably to the country's food security.

HL/ HaitiLibre