As Haiti grapples with one of the worst food security emergencies in its recent history, the country’s top agriculture official has made an urgent appeal for targeted, sufficient resources to match the scale of the crisis, during high-level talks at the 2026 World Food Forum in Rome.
Speaking on the sidelines of the global gathering on October 14, 2026, Marcelin Aubourg, Haiti’s Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR), held a bilateral meeting with Rein Paulsen, director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience, centered on mobilizing new financing to reboot domestic agricultural output, protect vulnerable households, and shore up the nation’s food production resilience.
According to 2026 Integrated Food Security Classification Framework (IPC) data covering the March to June period, 5.8 million Haitians are currently experiencing acute food insecurity, a crisis compounded by widespread gang-related insecurity and mass population displacement. During the discussion at FAO headquarters, Aubourg stressed that while immediate food aid remains critical to meeting the population’s most pressing needs, emergency assistance must be paired with long-term interventions that empower local farmers to restart operations, sustain output, and retain their livelihoods.
To deliver on this dual approach, the Haitian government has identified key priority action areas: expanding access to high-quality seeds, farming tools and other critical agricultural inputs; scaling up support for small-scale livestock operations; rehabilitating damaged productive infrastructure; and restoring fishing-based livelihoods once security conditions allow.
Aubourg expressed public gratitude for existing FAO emergency resilience funding that has already supported the ongoing Boosting Agricultural Production for Better Food Security in Haiti project, noting that this initial investment has served as a critical foundation to lift domestic output and advance food security goals amid the overwhelming scale of humanitarian need.
Even with this support in place, however, the agriculture minister emphasized that far greater commitment from global technical and financial partners is required to address the gap. The core challenge, he explained, is securing predictable, sustained resources to scale emergency interventions, support the recovery of agricultural households, and permanently strengthen the resilience of Haiti’s food production systems.
Aubourg’s appeal aligns with the FAO’s 2026-2028 Emergency and Resilience Plan for Haiti, a strategic framework designed to expand support for vulnerable communities and keep agricultural activities operational amid ongoing overlapping crises. He highlighted the critical need for a paradigm shift beyond only immediate emergency response, arguing that long-term food security requires integrating proactive preparation for recurring natural disasters including droughts, floods and hurricanes, as well as pre-emptive action to protect livelihoods before catastrophic events strike.
This proactive model, Aubourg explained, will gradually reduce Haiti’s overreliance on humanitarian aid while building the capacity of local producers and communities to withstand repeated shocks to their food systems.
To turn the outcomes of the Rome talks into tangible action, MARNDR has proposed establishing a joint technical monitoring mechanism in partnership with the FAO. The new body will work to refine priority intervention areas, outline clear financing requirements, and develop a coordinated proposal to mobilize additional resources from international donor communities.
Throughout the meeting, Aubourg reiterated the core imperative guiding Haiti’s advocacy: to leverage humanitarian support as a launchpad for rebooting national agricultural production, while building the long-term capacity of the sector to sustainably deliver food security for all Haitians.