In 2015, as Haiti's Minister of National Education and Vocational Training, I had the honor of participating in a major public policy transformation: the development and adoption of the National School Feeding Policy and Strategy (PSNAS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development, the Ministry of Public Health and Population, and with the support of numerous technical and financial partners.

This landmark strategic document was made public in January 2016 and updated in January 2024, reaffirming its central role in Haiti's foundational education reforms.

Why a national school feeding policy?

In Haiti, more-than 60% of school-age children live in extreme poverty. Access to regular and nutritious meals is a key determinant of school attendance, learning outcomes, and dropout reduction.

Until 2015 however, school feeding in Haiti was heavily dependent on international aid and lacked a coordinated national strategy.

The PSNAS was designed to address this gap, anchoring school feeding within the national public policy agenda and aligning it with the Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 4 (Quality Education for All).

Tangible results: Rapid progress toward self-sufficiency

In 2015, less than 1% of the food used in school canteens was sourced locally. Thanks to rigorous implementation of the PSNAS and increasing engagement from various stakeholders, that figure now exceeds 40%.

In the case of the World Food Programme (WFP), the local sourcing rate rose from 1% to 70% by 2025, reflecting a strong alignment with national priorities. The Canadian cooperation also played a pivotal role in this success.

This progress has been enabled by:

• Identifying agricultural production zones near schools
• Organizing short, reliable, and traceable supply chains
• Establishing national standards for food quality and nutrition
• Strengthening collaboration with agricultural cooperatives and rural women.

The ambitious yet achievable goal remains to reach 100% local food sourcing by 2030, turning schools' food demand into a powerful engine for sustainably structuring the national agricultural market.

Key partners such as the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) have already achieved this target in their programs.

A multisectoral, inclusive and resilient approach

By integrating educational, nutritional, agricultural, and territorial dimensions, it embodies a holistic public policy approach.

It has proven critical in helping Haiti absorb multiple recent shocks: political instability, economic crises, natural disasters, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Enhanced coordination between national actors and technical partners (UNICEF, FAO, GPE, WFP, AFD, IDB, Canadian Cooperation, among others) has played a key role in this resilience.

Food insecurity: A silent emergency in schools

The relevance of the PSNAS is even greater in a context of acute food crisis. According to the World Food Programme, nearly 1 in 2 Haitians now suffers from acute food insecurity, a historic high. Children are at the frontline of this crisis.

UNICEF estimates that at least one million Haitian children face extreme food insecurity, undermining their physical and cognitive development, school attendance, and learning ability.

In this context, school meals serve as a vital safety net for the most vulnerable families, often the only complete meal of the day for thousands of students.

This reality makes it imperative to maintain and expand the school feeding policy to all public schools nationwide.

The GPE Multiplier: A strategic lever for joint financing

One of the most impactful aspects of PSNAS lies in its catalytic role in attracting joint and innovative funding, especially through the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Multiplier mechanism.

Thanks to this innovative financing tool, GPE mobilized additional resources from key partners such as the World Food Programme (WFP) through a McGovern-Dole grant, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Education Above All, helping to scale up WFP school feeding programs in Haiti.

This leveraged funding didn't just provide fiscal breathing room; it sustained and expanded interventions in the areas most affected by food insecurity, strengthened local supply logistics, and integrated Haitian farmers into a long-term structured market.

As noted by the IDB, this is about "expanding support to education in Haiti" through an intersectoral approach combining nutrition, education, protection and local development.

This integrated funding model, rooted in trust, accountability and complementarity, reflects the very spirit of GPE. It proves that with agile mechanisms and strong alliances, even fragile environments can transform constraints into long-term opportunities.

A locally driven development model for global adaptation

The Haitian experience shows that a school can be much more than a place for formal learning. It can become a hub for local economic growth, a food distribution platform, a community mobilization center, and a space for instilling values of solidarity, health, and food sovereignty.

If sustainably supported, this model can be replicated and adapted in other countries facing similar challenges.

In conclusion: Making synergies shine

Despite the progress, much remains to be done.

Haiti, a member of the Global School Meals Coalition, reaffirmed its commitment in 2025 to increase the number of students receiving school meals from 1.2 million in 2024 to over 1.5 million in 2025 (about 50%) and to mobilize both national and international funding to reach 100% coverage by 2030.

The government also aims to raise the share of locally sourced ingredients in school meals to 50% by 2026 and 100% by 2030.

Today, school feeding must no longer be seen as an educational bonus or side program. It is a strategic long-term investment at the crossroads of public policy.

Haiti's experience teaches us that it is possible to align education, agriculture, nutrition, inclusion, territorial equity, and social cohesion around one common goal: to feed children, and to feed the nation.