Haiti - Social : More than 800,000 Haitians need food urgently
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) informs regarding the food security situation in Haiti, that of the estimated 1.4 million people who require some type of humanitarian assistance, 806,000 need food urgently for the first three months following the hurricane. Between 8 October and 22 November, WFP has reached 589,673 people with food assistance in Grand’Anse, Nippes, and South. An estimated 4,500 families will receive seeds for planting between 26 November and 3 December.
The UN organization informs that in Jérémie, the last day of the first distributions phase is expected to be 10 December, which leaves less than two weeks of the planting season. Many families risk missing the period and facing exacerbated malnutrition. ; and that the damages to the agricultural sector are estimated to be $580 million, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
In terms of food, WFP will publish final results of its food market analysis (VAM) this week, based on an assessment of 22 markets in affected areas. The preliminary results of the VAM has found a decrease in market activity, significant price increases in both staple and imported products, and a strong continued dependence on food assistance. Cash-based assistance was found to be a feasible modality for meeting food security needs in the three most affected departments : Grand'Anse, Nippes and South.
