The effects of "El Niño" in 2015, manifested by inadequate rainfall and affecting most departments of Haiti whose Northeast, Northwest, South, Southeast and Nippes through a drought situation affecting thousands of families and resulting in an unusual warming temperatures in several regions that reduces rainfall.

For the Southern Department, according to information collected in the hydrometeorological stations in Port-à-Piment, Camp Perrin, Port Salut, Tiburon, Chantal et Île-à-Vache, it is obvious that these areas show a very strong reduction of rainfall since 2014. The level of soil moisture is so low that even the rare rainfall recorded this year fail to improve the situation. In addition, lack of irrigation infrastructure and the decline of the water level in rivers make very vulnerable farmers and rural populations. There is therefore a need for emergency food assistance for households that are already facing the crisis of acute food insecurity (phase 3), according to a report of Fews Net entitled Latin America and Haiti, food safety alert, issued on 20 July.

This has exacerbated the food security level in the country due to the considerable decline in local food availability. In this sense, there is a volatile prices of basic food products in different markets, except for sugar, and rice and maize imported.

However, the price of corn and beans, locally produced, from January to June 2015 accused increases of over 12% and 32% on average according to the latest data from the National Food Security Coordination (CNSA).

The higher dollar has the impact on basic foods and the fact that local production is very low, farmers are forced to sell local products at a high price in the hope of covering the cost of other products. So, the devaluation of the gourde has a direct impact on household life given the level of poverty in the country.

Note that actions are being conducted in several regions of the country to help the affected farmers and populations. The European Union has just inaugurated of agricultural irrigation infrastructure to improve the food security of 80,000 people in the town of Belladère. As part of its Improving Food Security Program in Haiti (PASAH) which has a budget of 20 million euros, the EU is working to improve the nutritional and health conditions of women and children as well as by the creation of viable and sustainable opportunities for producers.

HL/ HaitiLibre