GEO Haiti 2010

State of the Environment Report 2010
5.2.2 Inadequate Farming
Techniques
Agriculture, as mentioned, is one of the most
important economic activities in Haiti, despite
the many challenges the country has faced over
the years. Agricultural practices are traditional
and generally not convenient and new areas are
often cleared out in forestry areas. These practices
therefore contribute to the physical degradation
of soils, notably through erosion, which reduces
their physical and chemical capacities and,
consequently, of their productivity levels.
• Too short fallow periods
For the reasons mentioned above, farm incomes
have declined steadily over decades and can no
longer meet the needs of the farmer and his family.
In order to try to counteract this situation, the
farmer will seek more and more land, use intensive
farming methods and lessen the duration of the
fallow period 49 . This practice, once common in
Haiti, has been significantly reduced to the point
that it has almost disappeared (ROOSE, 1994).
Nowadays, the least fertile land is left fallow for a
year or two after a crop cycle of one to two years,
while the most productive “benefit” from a fallow
period of between two and six months (ROOSE,
1994).
This situation has contributed to the decline in
soil fertility. According to HILAIRE (1995), soils in
Haiti have lost 75% of their productive capacity.
• Slash-and-burn fields
Haitian agriculture also suffers from a poor use
of inputs such as fertilizers. For example, in Haiti,
only 19,000 tons of fertilizers were used in 2003
(FAO / WFP, 2005). This obviously contributes to
the weakening of agricultural productivity and,
ipso facto, there is a consequent fall in revenue.
The farmer who is unable to access fertilizers, an
important element of production, will therefore
use practices such as the slash-and-burning of
fields in order to improve soil quality. Despite the
lack of reliable data on the issue, but taking into
account the extent of the practice, there is no
doubt that significant amounts of farmland are
thus affected in Haiti.
It is well known that this harmful practice
contributes to the degradation of soils, exacerbates
the erosion phenomenon (SAFFACHE, 2001) and
increases the loss of the productive capacity of
soils in Haiti (ROOSE, 1994).
• Inefficient land-use
Land management in Haiti, a largely
mountainous country, repeatedly has been
considered inefficient. It manifests itself by an
irrational utilization of land, by the farming
on slopes without the use of adequate soilprotection
techniques, and by the building of
settlements not compliant with regulations.
This type of land management has persisted
in the mountainous areas in Haiti, a situation
worsened by demographical pressure.
5.3 Significant Impacts
5.3.1 Soil degradation
Soil degradation in Haiti, essentially manifest
through its erosion and depletion, is considered
as being responsible of a crisis extending well
beyond agriculture. According to EMMANUEL
et al (2007), the Cul-de-Sac Plain, affected by
salinity as a result of excessive pumping, is a clear
example of the possible impact of this problem,
on agriculture as well as on other human activities
in the area. A similar study was conducted on the
coastal aquifer at Malpasse, which showed a high
concentration of salt in both subterranean and
ground water.
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49
In the 1960s, Paul Moral, in a now classic publication, The Haitian Peasant (1961), highlighted this situation.