PORT-AU-PRINCE (WFP): The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) will launch an emergency operation to assist 1 million people devastated by three years of prolonged drought exacerbated by the El Niño weather phenomenon.
The assessment found that the main 2015 spring harvest was below average, with almost three-quarters of farmers reporting they had lost more than 82 percent of production. For the 2016 spring season, 65 percent of families said they could not plant due to a lack of agricultural inputs. A scarcity of locally produced food has led to price hikes of up to 60 percent.
WFP initially responded with food distributions in Haiti for a two-month period to 120,000 people. With the new emergency operation this week, WFP will assist the 1 million people as Haiti enters the lean season from March to June when food stocks from the previous year run out.
Some 700,000 people in Haiti will receive cash transfers, which will provide the poorest and most vulnerable with the ability to purchase food while at the same time strengthening local economies. Another 300,000 people will be given a mix of cash transfers and food.
In a second phase, 200,000 people will receive food to work on watershed management and soil conservation projects, creating assets to help communities to plant small vegetable gardens. WFP plans to assist pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children with a specialized blended cereal fortified with vitamins and minerals to prevent malnutrition.
