Food security and livestock production amongst Haitian smallholder farmers (805.7)

Abstract

Food insecurity (FIS) is highly prevalent in Haiti with an unequal distribution amongst the rural population. The objective of this study is to examine the contribution that livestock production has to food security in smallholder farmers. The level of FIS of 502 households was determined using the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale. Households were categorized as severely FIS (62.0%), moderately FIS (28.3%), mildly FIS (7.2%), and food secure (2.6%). Livestock units (LSU) per household were calculated to examine the contribution of livestock to food security. Food secure households had a mean of 11.5 LSU, mildly FIS had 9.3 LSU, moderately FIS had 6.5 LSU, and severely FIS had 5.4 LSU. All differences between categories were statistically significant (P< 0.001). Food secure farmers have also a higher estimated monetary value on livestock than food insecure farmers (P<0.001). Additionally, food secure households produce significantly more milk than all other categories. The findings show that having more livestock units might positively impact the food security status of small farmers, as well as their ability to produce animal source foods. The study shows the importance of animal production among Haitian small farmers, which might be linked to intake of animal source foods.