Agroforestry — a last hope for conservation in Haiti?

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and one of the 25 poorest in the world. Its economy is marked by severe structural problems, and there is an extreme and widening gap between rich and poor. Per capita income in 1983 was US $315, and only about $50 in the countryside where many people live on the edge of starvation. Indices such as illiteracy, infant mortality and life expectancy are the worst in the hemisphere. Prolonged drought conditions since the mid-1970s have increased the country's external dependence, and much of the population depends on food aid.In the last few years several aid organizations have concentrated their efforts on reforestation programs with small farmers. Some programs are geared to production of fuelwood and timber as a source of cash income. Others propagate agroforestry as one possible solution to soil conservation and sustainable agriculture.Since 1983 the author has worked in Haiti as a technical consultant to local Caritas organizations working with many small groups of farmers engaged in agroforestry and soil conservation activities. The primary goal is to stop the process of hillside erosion, find new ways to prevent loss and degradation of agricultural land, make better use of rainwater, and promote self reliance in basic food crops.