Poverty affects rural Haitian in many aspects of life including housing, nutrition, education, healthcare, infant mortality rates, as well as environment. Food insecurity and hunger are chronic issues in Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and the second most densely populated.

While agriculture is a significant sector of the overall economy, Haiti does not produce enough food crops and livestock to feed its people. The sector is very fragile. Rough terrain, climatic hazards, a context of unclear property rights, a vicious circle of environmental degradation, little available technology and credit, and a weak market infrastructure create serious challenges to agricultural development.

Rural livelihoods in Haiti are based on an agricultural production system that is characterized by small family farms usually less than one acre, practicing mixed farming.