Nearly 77 percent of Haitian rural households raise poultry, cattle, small ruminants or other livestock. The broad participation of rural households in livestock production demonstrates a clear opportunity to increase incomes, resilience and food security in the Resilience Focus Zones. The local livestock sector provides half of the proteins consumed by Haitians. However, Haitian farmers struggle to supply the country’s growing livestock markets. Access to high-quality, affordable inputs such as veterinary medicines, and vaccines are unreliable. Poor infrastructure and insecurity routinely cause supply chain disruptions that make it difficult for producers to sell goods, especially to larger markets, such as Port-au-Prince. Meanwhile, market actors have little incentive to invest in Haitian livestock due to increasing competition from cheaper, imported animal products. Women and youth participation in the sector is constrained by cultural norms, gender biases, weak access to credit, and limited control of productive assets – making gender inclusion a priority issue in the livestock sector.

Tags
Haiti; EGAD; Economic Growth; Agriculture Development