Abstract:

The January 2010 Haitian earthquake displaced more than a million people and disrupted economic, social and community structures. Lack of access to cash, difficulty getting food from the countryside to the city markets, and loss of household food storage contributed to creating food insecurity among urban dwellers in the post-quake period. Interventions to mitigate household hunger included cash for work, food for work, and a hybrid program in which both cash and food were distributed (often at different times) to participants in exchange for laboring in community rebuilding efforts. This study examined the short and long term impacts of these three interventions on reducing hunger and improving the diet of participants in terms of diversity and balance of food types consumed. Cash/food for work projects demonstrated an ability to be much more than just a short-term emergency intervention. The influx of cash enabled households to spend on other essentials including education, transportation, and family businesses. Those who invested their cash earnings in income-generating activities demonstrated a more diverse diet with greater consumption of fruits, some proteins, and vegetables. A year later these gains continued. Other positive outcomes included a greater likelihood of girls being enrolled in school and fewer child laborers among households which received cash or cash and food for work. These findings point to the promising potential in the use of cash transfers to support food security and improved quality of life.