Agroforestry and sustainable resource conservation in Haiti: A Case Study
Nathan C. McClintock
Overview
Soil erosion and deforestation are endemic in Haiti due to centuries of agricultural exploitation, first under the colonial plantation system—intensive monocropping of export commodities such as cotton, indigo, tobacco, sugarcane, and coffee—and later by the widespread harvest of timber for export markets and the expansion of peasant subsistence agriculture on marginal sloping land. A growing urban population and an increasing demand for charcoal and fuel wood have further stressed the environment. While rural Haiti has provided most of the nation’s revenue in the form of agriculture and natural resources, this wealth has systematically been siphoned from rural areas to the capital with little returning to the countryside in the form of infrastructure or development. Furthermore, political and socioeconomic instability has been a tremendous obstacle to sustainable resource management and foreign investment in conservation projects and research. As a result rural populations themselves have played the most active role in combating erosion with traditional agroforestry technologies, yet the rate of degradation is too great for these efforts to be truly sustainable. Millions of dollars have been spent by donor aid agencies on large-scale agroforestry initiatives over the last several decades to address the dire state of Haiti’s environment, yet many of these projects have ended with little to show. Projects involving local farmers, gwoupman peyizan (peasants’ groups), and indigenous knowledge have been more successful and offer the greatest potential for effective conservation of Haiti’s natural resources.
For the rest of the article see:
http://www.piphaiti.org/overview_of_haiti2.html
When Columbus arrived in Haiti, Haiti was 90% covered by trees, now only 4% of trees are left.
When there are less trees , there is lest rain .
Also Haiti ,needs new water pipes , there is too much water wasted.
Also Haiti needs to develope Solar power which will give alternative fuel to charcoal .Many Haitians still use Charcoal for cooking, they could use Solar power cookers
2007-02-26 01:24:59
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answer #1
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answered by nonconformiststraightguy 6
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