Farmers in Haiti’s Artibonite Valley, the country’s most important agricultural region and the source of much of its domestically produced rice, faced a double blow in 2019: a prolonged dry period that reduced irrigation water availability, and the supply chain and market disruptions caused by the country’s political crisis. The combination threatened harvests that millions of Haitians depended on for food and livelihoods.
Smallholder farmers who irrigated their paddies from the Artibonite River system reported lower water levels than usual, forcing them to reduce the area planted or accept lower yields. The reduced availability of fuel for irrigation pumps, caused by the ongoing fuel shortage crisis, compounded the problem.
Getting harvested rice to market was another challenge. Road blockades during protest periods had prevented farmers from transporting their produce, leading to post-harvest losses. The farmers most affected were those in more remote areas with limited alternative routes to markets.
Agricultural support organizations warned that two consecutive difficult seasons could push many Artibonite farming families into poverty and food insecurity, creating a dangerous feedback loop in which reduced domestic food production increased dependence on expensive imports and worsened the overall food security situation in a country already struggling to feed itself.