Relief groups have launched fresh appeals for funds to feed over a million Haitians after hurricane Sandy devastated farmland, compounding agricultural damage from tropical storm Isaac which destroyed 40% of the harvest in August.
The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said up to 450,000 people, including at least 4,000 children under five, are at risk from severe acute malnutrition, a life-threatening condition that requires urgent treatment. With harvests destroyed in most of the country, Haiti's entire food security situation is threatened, it added.
Although Haiti was not directly in Sandy's path, the storm last month triggered heavy rains and severe flooding in the west and the south. Rivers which flooded during the storm washed away topsoil, fruit trees and cultures. Eroded banks gave way and protective walls were shattered. Of the country's 140 communes, 70 were affected by the storm. Water levels are receding, but several areas remain inaccessible due to damaged bridges and roads.
Plantations of corn, beans, sorghum, pigeon peas, bananas, tubers, peanuts, vegetables and rice were entirely destroyed or badly damaged by wind and water. The government, which declared a state of emergency on 30 October, confirmed that over 64,000 heads of livestock were washed away, adding that the drought that preceded Isaac had already caused huge losses.
Significant reductions in the availability of food has led to big price rises – 200% in some communities at the end of September compared with prices in September 2011, according to Ocha.
"As a direct impact of the combined effects of the drought, Isaac and Sandy, the population in affected areas is facing a triple threat of decreased job opportunities, reduced access to food and less agricultural land to cultivate for the coming harvest season (June 2013)," said the UN agency.
ActionAid said farmers it works with are reporting crop losses of 70-90% in their areas and need immediate help to clear fields. They also require seeds and tools if they are to take advantage of the current planting season.
"Crops like corn, rice and coffee that provide food and cash for at least 50% of families in Haiti are now rotting in fields all over the southern coast," said Jean-Claude Fignolé, ActionAid Haiti's country director. "Policymakers, donors and humanitarian agencies must act now to prevent a hunger crisis of potentially catastrophic proportions."