Haiti

Country Context

Haiti is located on the island of Hispaniola —  which it shares with the Dominican Republic — between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is the third-largest country in the Caribbean, after Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Haiti is experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis shaped by years of political instability, economic hardship and climate shocks alongside widespread violence. Armed groups control many roads and urban areas, disrupting the movement of food, fuel and medicine and forcing families from their homes. As prices rise and markets break down, Haiti’s food system is under severe strain, and more than half the population does not have enough food to eat.

Our Response

Within this challenging context, Heifer works with farmers and producers to cultivate their land and raise livestock as sustainably as possible so they can strive for a brighter future.

In response to the severity of the food security crisis and recognizing that agriculture is an increasingly vital lifeline for people in Haiti, Heifer’s work prioritizes crop and livestock production and community-led development that includes Passing on the Gift®, a commitment by participants to pass on knowledge or assets gained through Heifer programming. Through these priorities, Heifer supports smallholder crop and livestock farmers to strengthen resilience and build food systems that support Haiti’s most vulnerable groups.

Our primary objective is helping families achieve a sustainable living income, our measure for the amount of money required for a decent life — including safe shelter, nutritious food, clothing, education and health care — while also reaching additional benchmarks for economic and climate resilience.

The Haiti Signature Program

Heifer International’s work is organized at the country level into signature programs focused on a large-scale and measurable impact achieved by building partnerships at all levels. Each program supports farmers through time-bound projects designed to increase their household income.

Haiti Resilience

Heifer’s signature program in Haiti, Haiti Resilience, seeks to address low agricultural productivity, limited knowledge of agricultural techniques and severely restricted access to inputs while promoting sustainable land management. The program supplies farmers with tools and seeds, provides training to increase productivity and income and supports access to markets where farmers can sell their products and earn a living.