Haiti's five million people are among the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Their country, the second oldest republic in the region after the United States, is the only one in the hemisphere categorized as a Least Developed Country (LDC) by the United Nations. The mountainous and rugged countryside has been severely denuded of forest cover, a condition that has led to worsening erosion and a negative impact on agricultural production. Most of the natural vegetation has been destroyed through clearing for agriculture and timber during the last three centuries.

About three-quarters of the people in Haiti live in rural areas and are heavily dependent upon agriculture. The country's population density is among the highest in the world - above what is often considered ideal for the sustainable management of natural resources. Urban migration of primarily young Haitians is having a negative impact on rural communities, where the increasing population consists predominately of children and the elderly. To learn more about the conditions in Haiti, see the websites below:

United Nations Capital Development Fund
www.uncdf.org/english/countries/haiti/index.php

Human Rights Watch
http://hrw.org/doc/?t=united_nations

United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah

Port Haiti
www.port-haiti.com

Food For The Poor, Inc.
www.foodforthepoor.org/haiti

Population Services International
www.psi.org

Plan USA
www.planusa.org