Haiti’s Rising Gang Violence and Sharp Decline in Agricultural Productivity will Push Hunger and Poverty to Unprecedented Extremes in 2025

December 23, 2024

The crisis of gang violence in Haiti has reached a critical point, devastating food security and disrupting supply chain, according to new analysis from Mercy Corps. Gangs now control key regions and highways, including the Artibonite area and access points around Port-au-Prince, rendering most roads too dangerous for traders. Gangs employ various methods to obstruct access, from setting up toll booths where fees range from 500 to 5,000 Haitian gourdes ($3 to $40) to ambushing vehicles to confiscate goods. This disruption, combined with limited market access and barriers to distributing goods, has contributed to sharp increases in food prices, such as maize, which is up by 10% in areas like the Northwest and Southeast.  

Mercy Corps’ new analysis also underscores the severe impact of gang violence on agricultural production and land use. Many rural farmers, particularly in the Artibonite Valley, considered Haiti's breadbasket, face extortion, intimidation, and direct threats, forcing them to abandon their fields. Gang-imposed toll fees and territorial disputes further restrict farming activities, leading to reduced local crop yields and inaccessible farmland. The Artibonite region, a vital agricultural hub, has experienced reduced farming activities, further cutting the supply of local produce. Direct attacks on infrastructure, displacement of farming communities, and climate shocks such as droughts and hurricanes are eroding the once-reliable safety net of local agricultural production, leaving Haiti increasingly dependent on imports. These are jeopardized by the sporadic closure of Port-au-Prince’s airport to U.S. and Dominican flights and frequent port shutdowns due to violence.   

These factors, combined with inflation already nearing 40% for food items in 2024, are deepening the food insecurity crisis. High transportation costs and a shortage of essential commodities, including fertilizers and farming tools, have further strained local markets. 4.9 million people—more than 40% of the population—are currently facing severe food insecurity, a sharp rise from 3.3 million the previous year. Access to food has become even more precarious, particularly in urban areas where gang violence hampers the effective distribution of food aid.  

Laurent Uwumuremyi, Mercy Corps Country Director for Haiti, says: 

“Looking ahead to 2025, the combined threats of gang violence, economic instability, and climate impacts will likely deepen food insecurity, particularly in rural and conflict-prone areas. Haiti’s agricultural crisis is not just a reflection of the country’s wider socio-economic instability; it is a driving force behind its worsening conditions. Abandoned farmland across key regions like Artibonite is a stark testament to the widespread consequences of unchecked gang violence, which has devastated food production, led to skyrocketing prices, and entrenched deep poverty.  

“If left unaddressed, these challenges could lead to a sharp increase in malnutrition and related health crises, including stunted growth and higher mortality rates, particularly among children, the elderly, and pregnant women. There is an urgent need for coordinated humanitarian intervention to provide emergency food assistance, protect agricultural livelihoods, and restore key trade routes.” 

 

From 2022 to 2024, Mercy Corps has been providing emergency cash assistance to 32,500 people in Haiti and more than 700 small businesses in three departments, including Port-au-Prince. Since 2019, Mercy Corps has also been working to reduce violence and help young people pursue opportunities through financial inclusion and life skills training for more than 8,000 adolescents. Mercy Corps has worked in Haiti since 2010 to meet urgent needs through cash assistance, boost small businesses and entrepreneurs, build up young people’s skills to become productive, peaceful, and active members of their communities, help communities better prepare for disasters, and improve the incomes and harvests, food security and practices of rural farmers.   

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