More than 2,000 farmers in Haiti's South department are receiving vegetable seeds to plant home gardens, the Ministry of Agriculture says.

The distribution covers 12 communes: Port-à-Piment, Chardonnières, Chantal, Saint-Jean-du-Sud, Saint-Louis-du-Sud, Maniche, Cavaillon, Les Cayes, Camp-Perrin, Port-Salut, Torbeck and Ducis. It is part of the emergency component of the World Bank-funded Resilient Agriculture for Food Security Project.

Farmers will receive seeds for three crops chosen from bell peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, spinach, lettuce, parsley, melons, leeks and papayas, said agronomist Thed St-Juste, who oversees crop production for the project in the South.

Each commune will select 100 beneficiaries, or 200 in communes with strong farming and existing irrigation. Municipal agricultural offices help choose who receives the kits.

Home gardens can give families fresh food close to home and, with a good harvest, a surplus to sell at local markets, the ministry says. The UN estimates that 5.8 million Haitians face acute hunger this year.