The Constitution of Haiti (1987) establishes the right to food as fundamental: “The State recognizes the right of every citizen to decent housing, education, food and social security” (GoH 1987).
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The Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development is the primary institution responsible for improving food and nutrition security, while the Ministry of Public Health and Population is principally tasked with nutrition-related services (Duvivier and Fontin 2017). However, the abolition of the National Commission for Hunger and Malnutrition in 2014 weakened the perceived position of food and nutrition security on the political agenda (SUN 2017a).
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Haiti’s Strategic Development Plan (2012–2030; Plan Stratégique de Développement d’Haïti, PSDH) acknowledges that the level of food insecurity is high and that action must be taken in multiple areas to address the problem (GoH 2012).
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The National Nutrition Policy (2012; Politique Nationale de Nutrition, PNN) aims to improve the nutrition and health status of the population and of vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, lactating women, and children under five years of age (Duvivier and Fontin 2017).
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The Nutrition Strategic Plan (2013–2018) sought to improve the health and nutritional status of the population, including vulnerable groups, by prioritizing the following areas: preventing malnutrition, addressing nutrition-related diseases, protecting nutrition in case of emergencies, improving information systems for nutrition, improving intersectoral and intra- and inter-ministerial coordination, and providing applied research and training in the field of nutrition (GoH 2013; FNSP 2019).
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The Food Security and Nutrition Programme, launched in 2019, is a collaboration between the Government of Haiti and the European Union. Focused on the Nord-Ouest, Haut Artibonite, and Grande Anse departments, the program aims to sustainably improve the food security and nutrition of the most vulnerable populations and develop their resilience and capacity to resist and overcome shocks and crises (SUN 2019).
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Haiti ratified the Paris Agreement and introduced the National Climate Change Policy (Politique Nationale de Lutte contre les Changements Climatiques, PNCC) in 2017. The vision of the PNCC is to reduce Haiti’s vulnerability to climate change by adopting and implementing appropriate adaptation and mitigation measures (NAP-GSP 2018). Haiti has also developed a National Action Plan on Climate Change Adaptation (FAO 2019c).
The general objective of the Agricultural Development Policy (2010–2025) is to sustainably satisfy the food needs of the population and contribute to the social and economic development of the country. Specific long-term goals include reducing the dependence on food imports and meeting the national demand for food predominantly from domestic production, creating employment opportunities in rural areas to curb migration to the cities, increasing the contribution of the agricultural sector to foreign currency earnings, and reducing environmental vulnerability (GoH 2011).