Natural Systems

Natural Systems 

Relationship Diagram 

More Devastating 

Effects of Earthquakes 

Poor Building Construction 

and materials 

Increased 

Pollution 

More Devastating 

Effects of Hurricanes 

Elimination of 

natural protection 

Deforestation 

and degredation of 

Resources 

Charcoal Production 

Survival 

Inequitable Resources 

Soil Erosion 

Harms Agriculture, Fishing 

and Natural Habitats 

Life Threatening 

mudslides & floods 

Conflict, Repression, 

and Corruption in the 

Government 

Poverty 

Migration to Cities 

like Port-au-Prince 

Overpopulation 

Scarcity of Resources 

Deforestation/Reforestation 

Erosion 

Agriculture


Deforestation 

Border between Haiti and 

the Dominican Republic 

highlights the relative 

deforestation in Haiti. 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

Source: National Geographic, 2010.


Deforestation and Disasters 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

Source: ReliefWeb, 2008.


Alarming Statistics 

• Between 10 and 20 million trees are cut down each year 

• The annual reforestation rate is 0.7% 

• 53,300 trees per year are cut down for businesses to operate 

• Over 80% of the Haitian population has no access to electricity and over 90% 

uses wood-based charcoal for their daily cooking needs. 

• The Haitian government has not made the environment a priority. 

• The sale of charcoal is the main source of income for 9% fo the rural population 

of Haiti. 

Source: Fride, 2008; EarthTrends, 2003; Lewis & Coffey, 1985; Lea, 1996. 


Erosion 

Agriculture


TIMELINE 

Timeline of Deforestation in Haiti 

1400 1700 1800 1900 2000 

1492 

When Columbus reached 

the Caribbean island of 

Hispaniola, he wrote: “No 

human has ever beheld a 

more beautiful land; nowhere 

is nature so immeasurably 

lush, so 

green, so untouched.” 

Over 80% of the island 

was covered by lush vegetation. 

1700s 

Haiti is jewel of the 

French Empire, treasured 

for lush forests; however, 

logging begins as the 

french levelled thousands 

of hectares of 

brigin forest to plant 

sugar cane, cotton, and 

coffee. Wood was to used 

to operate brickworks, 

kilns, and tanneries. Trees 

were not replanted. 

1804 

Haiti gains independence 

from France, but is stil 

threatened with slavery. 

1825 

1915-1934 

Haiti reaches an agreement 

with France to pay 

them for their independence. 

Haitians were 

made to pay up to 80% 

of the country’s revenue 

($21 billion in current 

income). To pay the 

debt, Haitiains cut down 

forests, selling the tropical 

hard wood for the 

production of French furniture. 

Americans occupy Haiti 

and concentrate landownership 

with disregard 

to the land-holders who 

were evicted or became 

hired farm workers. 

“Before the American occupation, 

forest cover 

was 60% of the total surface 

in Haiti. By 1945 

forest cover had been 

reduced to 21%. 

1947 

1954 

1978 

The debt to France is 

paid off; however, forestry 

continues with the 

trees being made ito 

charcoal instead of furniture. 

Only 6.7% of the country 

is still forested (based on 

aerial photographs). Of 

the 6.7%, 36% had a 

dense canopy and 64% 

had an open canopy. An 

open canopy is a signifiier 

active tree cutting 

or burning. 

1978-1984 

Estimated that only 8-9% 

of the land remained 

under forest 

Forest area decreased 

from 4 to 13.6%. 

1990-2000 

1991-1994 

Forest reduction of 53%, 

compared with an average 

loss of 11% and 2% 

for Central America/ 

Caribbean and the world, 

respectively. 

Deforestation in Haiti accelerated 

during the embargo 

imposed by the 

UN. Kerosene and petrol 

were among the products 

affected by the economic 

blockade. People 

had to cut trees for cooking 

and lighting needs. 

2010 

Due to extensive deforestation, 

only 1.5 to 2% of 

the forest coverage remains 

in Haiti. 

2015 

Estimated that only river 

basins in the extreme 

southest will have remaining 

forest cover. 

Year River Basin will be Completely Deforested 

Prior to 1985 

1990 

2000 

2010 

Forest parcels over 50 km in 1978 

Source: Fride, 2008; EarthTrends, 2003; Lewis & Coffey, 1985; Lea, 1996. 

Drawn by: Baudler, 2011. 


Erosion 

Agriculture


Vegetation and Land Use: 1970 


Erosion 

Agriculture


Forest Cover: 2004 


Erosion 

Agriculture


Land Cover: 2004 


Erosion 

Agriculture


Poverty 

Haiti Forest Cover: 2011 Haiti Energy Source: 2011 

Forested Land: 2% 

Renewable: 1% 

Oil: 23% 

Poverty causes many Haitians to seek income 

from natural resources. The sale of charcoal is 

the main source of income for 9% of the rural 

population. The charcoal comes from cutting 

trees, which accounts for the vast majority of 

the biomass used as an energy source by Haiti. 

Rural people must be empowered to find alternative 

sources of income. 

Unforested Land: 98% 

Biomass: 76% 

Source: UN World Food Programme 


Erosion 

Agriculture


Charcoal Production Areas in Haiti: 1980 to 1900 

Charcoal Production Areas in Haiti 

Increase in coal production from 1980 to 1990 

Source: UNDP Source: Johnson, 2007. 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

1980 

1990 

ì The use of biomass is 

the biggest source of 

energy for Haiti. The charcoal 

and fuelwood industries 

are very important to 

the peopleís livelihood, but 

the practice is not sustainable. 

In the mean time, fuelwood 

meets 70% of 

energy needs. The emergence 

of an energy industry 

began in the 1940s and 

50ís in Haiti, so itis a relatively 

recent phenomenom. 

The use of the forests has 

spread in a matter of ten 

years.î Charcoal production 

rapidly spread between the 

years of 1980 to 1990. ì The 

increase in the fuel industry 

has exacerbated an already 

fragile environment. 

Crucial watersheds are destroyed 

leaving the land 

naked to destruction by 

storms which are becoming 

stronger every year.î


Natural Disaster Casualties & Deforestation 


Erosion 

Agriculture


Wasteland - Deforestation in Haiti 

Jonathan Auch documents deforestation and charcoal production in Haiti through a series of powerful black and white images. Mr. Auch writes: “Once a 

lush island covered in trees Haiti is now 98 percent deforested. Twenty million trees are felled each year to meet the demand for the island’s primary fuel 

source; charcoal…. Haiti is quickly reaching an irrecoverable state where the majority of the island will succumb to desertification and become inhabitable.” 

Source: Auch, 2011 

View of patchwork landscape. 10 to 20 million trees are chopped down 

every year. 

Hillside scarred from years of deforestation due to charcoal production and 

logging. Only 1.5 to 2% of Haiti’s land remains forest. 


Erosion 

Agriculture



As the mountains are cleared, they are often coverted for mining. Silt is 

washed into the ocean from heavy rain, impacting fish and other wildlife. 

A rare old growth tree is cut down to be turned into charcoal. 


Erosion 

Agriculture



Farmers cut and stack wood into piles. They are then burned into charcoal 

where they will cure for two weeks. 

Charcoal farmer checking his charcoal. “This man was once a rice farmer 

but because of cheap imported American rice he was forced to start producing 

charcoal to support his family.” 


Erosion 

Agriculture



Charcoal market in Port-au-Prince. 

A charcoal market worker, known as a charbonniere. “The workers at the 

market spend 12 hours a day in the blistering sun on their hands and knees 

sorting charcoal into various sizes.” 


Erosion 

Agriculture


Deforestation- Charcoal in Haiti 

“The coastal charcoal market in the town of Arcahaie. Charcoal is sorted and 

loaded onto trucks for distribution, each bag weighs about 60lbs. Haiti uses 

approximetely 720,000 metric tons of charcoal annually.” 

“A charbonnière worker. The workers at the market spend 12 hours a day in 

the blistering sun on their hands and knees sorting charcoal.” 


Erosion 

Agriculture



“The ‘charbonnière’ make deliveries in Port-au-Prince from the market in Les 

Arcahaie. Charcoal is used for 76 percent of Haiti’s energy needs and must 

be delivered daily to meet demand.” 

“Workers take a rare break from loading charcoal into trucks at the market.” 


Erosion 

Agriculture


Reforestation Case Study #1 

Haiti Timber Re-Introduction Project (HTRIP): 

• is a community-based forestry in Haiti - began from a partnership between Hospital 

Albert Schweitzer haiti, interested members of the American forest industry, and other 

private donors. 

• began in 2006 to enable Haitians to re-create productive forests to improve their environment 

and health. 

• assists Haitians in growing commercially valuable timber tree species on marginal 

hillside lands 

• provides the trees and technical expertise while the farmer provides the land and 

labor (i.e., land in exchange for seedlings) 

• In 2006, over 1,300 trees were planted, with the participation of more than 175 Haitians 

• project is located in the mid-to-upper Artibonite Valley, an area with 40 inches of rain 

per year, with a dry period from November to March. The soils are very eroded and 

calcareous due to their limestone parent material. 

• livestock has been a significant challenge to reforestation, as the animals are rarely 

kept in enclosures 

• chose to begin reforestation with hard, fast-growing tree species: one native species 

(Cedrela odorata, Spanish Cedar), one naturalized species (Eucalyptus camadulensis), 

and one species that had not been previously introduced to Haiti (Paulownia sp., 

Empress Tree). Paulownia is a fast-growing commercial species which re-sprouts 

after harvesting for up to 8 generations.One citrus tree and one nitrogen-fixing tree 

(Enterlobium cyclocarpum and Lysiloma sabicu) were also planted for every three 

timber trees. 

• word about the project is spread to communities at churches and meeting within a 

9.3 mile radius of Deschapelles. 

• there has been an average mortility rate of 27% 

• once the trees begin to mature (5-7 yrs.), the understory will become shaded, requiring 

a change in crop type. HTRIP will assist transition to coffee, chocolate, animal 

forage... 

Source: Sprenkle, 2007; Sprenkle, 2011 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

HTRIP staff meets with community members at a 

future planting site. 

Volunteers digging a row of holes just below a contour 

canal.


Reforestation Case Study #2 & #3 

Dominican Republic plans to reforest border with Haiti 

• DR plans to reforest its border with Haiti - first step is to plant 5 million seedlings 

• In the first stage, seedlings wiil be planted in nurseries, consisting of pine (3.2 million); 

mahogany (500,000); mango (200,000); oak, San Domigo boxwood, and black olive 

(250,000 each); and tamarind and guayacan (150,000 each). 

• work is expected to cost 35 million pesos (approx. US $980,000). On June 15, 2010, 

the DR’s Environment and Natural Resources Ministry signed an agreement with the 

Border Development Agency to go ahead with the project. 

• The goal is to restore land at risk from antural disasters in the Haitian border area and 

provide jobs. 

Source: InfoSur Hoy, 2011. 

Large reforestation Project: AFKB in Bayone 

• AFKB is an organization with 155 members 

• goal of producing 120,000 seedlings - fruit and forest trees - over two years that will 

permit the reforestation of 2 Vesan valleys in Haiti 

• funded by the Lambi Fund, which will also provide training on agro forestation techniques, 

tools and the equipment to buil 6 tree nurseries. 

Source: Lambi Fund, 2011. 

Employees of the Dominican Republic planting seedlings 

to reforest the border with Haiti. 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

Large reforestation project in Bayone, Haiti.


Haiti : Agriculture 

Social 

Income 

Cultivation and 

commercialization 

of 

traditional 

foods 

Marketing 

Trade 

Health 

Gender Tradition Social 

Culture 

Agriculture 

Valuation of 

environmental 

services 

Recognition of 

traditional and 

diversified land 

use Soils 

Water 

Climate 

Biodiversity 

Social 

“There is wide agreement that reconstruction will have to 

focus substantially on agriculture. The majority of 

Haitians live in rural areas and depend on agricultural 

activities for their livelihoods.” 

– Marc Cohen : Oxfam.org 

“When we live in these conditions, we are ready to accept 

everything that is offered to us. But it is better to be given 

things that are produced locally.” 

- Monrocher Antoine: Oxfam.org 

Economic 

If Haiti is going to be built back better then the international 

community needs to generously support the Haitian 

government’s agricultural investment plan.” 

- Philippe Mathieu : Oxfam.org 

Economic 

Environmental 

Environmental 

The combination of deforestation and soil nutrient mining 

due to low fertiliser usage has devastated the fertility of 

Haiti’s agricultural land. The loss of forest cover contributes 

to a topsoil erosion rate of 3 per cent per year. 

- Marc Cohen : Oxfam.org 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

Diagram adapted from: International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) Report. 

http://qewnet.ning.com/forum/topics/mary-gilbert-and-others-report


Agriculture : Social : History 

Haitian Identity : Relationship between Land and Liberty 

“Haiti set an example for the world as a pioneer 

nation, where a whole people rose from 

slavery to national freedom. Attention 

must be paid to the deep cultural 

importance of land in this struggle.” 

“The stability and security that 

come from the garden allow individuals 

to accept or refuse work, 

alleviating some of the damger of 

exploitation. Lakou is an ethical 

expression of free workers who are 

masters of their time and bodies. 


Erosion 

“Lakou is community space composed of houses 

populated by several generations of the same 

family...The Garden of 

the lakou is the basic unit of the Haitian agricultural 

world.” 

“A family cultivates the necessary foods for consumption 

by working together, and seasonal harvests 

from the garden allow the family not to be 

entirely dependent on outside resources.” 

Agriculture 

The dream of every 

Haitian is to have a 

piece of land, and 

owning land is linked 

to the very idea of 

being Haitian because 

the land is a symbol of 

freedom.” 

New Haitian Villages, Steven Holl Architects; Guy Nordenson & Associates; Matthias Schuler, Transolar; Jean Henock 

Beauchamps& Araby Smyth. Pamphlet Architecture: 31. Princeton Architectural Press. New York. 2010


Agriculture : Social : Current 

Gender Roles- Women in Agriculture 

“In rural areas, men and women played complementary roles. Men were primarily responsible for 

farming and, especially, for heavy work, such as tilling. Women, however, often assisted with tasks 

such as weeding and harvesting. Women were responsible for selling agricultural produce. In 

general, Haitian women participated in the labor force to a much greater extent than did women 

in other Latin American countries. Haiti's culture valued women's economic contribution to the 

farm in that all income generated through agricultural production belonged to both husband and 

wife. Many women also acquired sufficient capital to become full-time market traders, and they 

were thus economically independent. The income that they earned from nonfarm business activities 

was recognized as their own; they were not required to share it with their husbands.” -Haggerty 

http://www.jeansenatfleury.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/10/Brevil-Merdenie.png; 

[accessed Feb. 2011] 

Heath- Impact of Cholera on Agricultural Sector 

Hurricane Tomas caused flooding and subsequently expanded outbreaks of cholera. “Fears of the 

epidemic are causing a rice shortage, as farmers avoid harvesting in the north-west due to fears 

that canals and rivers, which irrigate the crops, may be infected...consumers are also avoiding 

products from cholera affected regions causing more hardships.” 

ABC Rural. Choleral Threatens Haitian Agriculture; [accessed Feb. 2011] 

Wealth disparities 

80% of the population is living in poverty, like Jealene [the farmer from the economic case strudy] 

most people live on less than $2/ day. 

“The wealth gap between the impoverisvhed Creole speaking black majority and the French 

speaking mulattos, 1% of whom own nearly half of the country’s wealth, remains unaddressed.” 

- Schifferes 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

http://www.wunrn.com/news/2008/12_08/12_22_08/122208_haiti.htm 

[accessed Feb. 2011 

Schifferes, Steve. Haiti: An economic Basket-Case; BBC News Online Economics Report. [Updated: March 

2004] [Accessed: Jan 2010]


Agriculture : Social : Current Facts 

Total population (millions): 9.2 

Life expectancy at birth: 52 

Urban population: 38% 

Farming population (incl. forestry and fishing) (millions): 5.07 

Undernourished population (millions): 5.3 

Proportion of undernourished/total population: 

58% 

Per capita daily calorie intake (kcal/day): 1 840 

Per capita daily protein intake (%/ kcal): 9% 

Child malnutrition, underweight: 22% 

Child malnutrition, stunting: 24% 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

http://canteensforthechildrenofhaiti.org.p8.hostingprod.com/ 

http://www.fao.org/countries/55528/en/hti/


Agriculture : Social : Case Study : LONDON_2045 

“New Space for Old Space: An Urban 

Vision,” presents a retrospective from the year 

2045 imagining the development of CPUL’s in 

London, England. Though glamorized it provides 

a plausible account for what the city of 

London might look like and how it might function 

in 35 years if there were immediate development 

of CPUL’s. 

The account imagines what the life of a 

London farmer would be like day to day; harvesting 

and selling produce from localized 

kiosks, and enjoying a relaxed evening. It hypothesizes 

that by 2045 London will have 

stopped growing, and that the success of 

CPULs will “have grown alongside three main 

urban prerequisites: population stability, successful 

public transport and borough balance.” 

http://www.foodnut.com/431/borough-market-london-uk/ 

http://golondon.about.com/od/thingstodoinlondon/ig/St-Jamess-Park-Photos/ 

View-of-London-Eye.htm 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

“New Space for Old Space: An Urban Vision.” Katrin Bohn and Andre Viljoen: In: CPULs Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes: 

Designing Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Cities; Pgs: 4-16 Elsevier: Architectural Press; Oxford. Editors: Viljoen,


Agriculture : Economics : Historic + Current Conditions 

HISTORY 

1950s Agriculture = 

80 % of Labor Force 

and 

50% Gross Domestic Product 

and 

90% of Exports 

1990s Agriculture = 

66 % of Labor Force 

and 

35% Gross Domestic Product 

and 

24% of Exports 

5% or National Budget = 

Ministry of Agriculture 

CURRENT 

66% of Haitians Depend upon 

small scale subsistence farming 

yet it only accounts for: 

23% of Gross Domestic Product 

Factors contributing to the decline of Haitis 

agriculture include low levels of agricultural 

technology, migration out of rural areas, insecure 

land ownership, a lack of capital investment, 

high commodity taxes, the low productivity 

of undernourished farmers, animal and 

plant diseases, and inadequate infrastructure. 

Low governmental investment in agricultural 

activities 

Cash Crops: 

Essential Oils 

Cocoa Beans 

Mangoes 

Coffee 

Food Crops: 

Rice 

Beans 

Avocados 

Pineapples 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

CIA World Factbook; https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html. Updated: Jan 2011 [Accessed: Jan 2011] 

Haiti. Richard A. Ha ggerty, ed. Haiti: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1989. http://countrystudies.us/haiti/ 

Agriculture, [Accessed: Jan 2011] 

http://earthtrends.wri.org/pdf_library/country_profiles/agr_cou_332.pdf [Accessed: Jan 2011]


Agriculture : Economics : Current : Crops 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations http://faostat.fao.org/desktopdefault.aspx?pageid=342&lang=en&country=93


Agriculture : Economics : Current : Crops 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations http://faostat.fao.org/desktopdefault.aspx?pageid=342&lang=en&country=93


Agriculture : Economics : Current : Production v. Exports v. Imports 

1000 MT 

1000 MT 

Sugar 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 

Rice 

350 

300 

250 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 

Coffee 

700 

Producon 

Exports 

Imports 

Producon 

Exports 

Imports 

1000 MT 

1000 MT 

Corn 

350 

300 

250 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 

Wheat 

250 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 

Cotton 

12 

Producon 

Exports 

Imports 

Producon 

Exports 

Imports 

Note: 

Production has decreased 

and imports have increased 

so dramatically in Sugar 

and Rice due to trade liberaliztion. 

In 1986 the International 

Monetary Fund (IMF) 

loaned Haiti 24 million 

dollars only if they lowered 

tariff protections for their 

Haitian rice and other agricultural 

products to open 

up the country’s markets to 

competition from outside 

countries. 

By 1988, so much American 

rice had invaded the country 

that it became unprofitable 

for many Haitian farmers 

to continue planting. 

1000 60 KG Bags 

600 

500 

400 

300 

200 

100 

Producon 

Exports 

Imports 

1000 480lb Bales 

10 

8 

6 

4 

2 

Producon 

Exports 

Imports 

This is compounded by the 

population explosion from 

5 million in 1990 to 9 million 

today 

0 

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 

0 

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

Schifferes, Steve. Haiti: An economic Basket-Case; BBC News Online Economics Report. [Updated: March 2004] [Accessed: Jan 2011] 

Stabroek Staff. Trade Liberalization Killed Haiti’s Rice Industry. Jan 2010. www.stabroeknews.com. [Accessed: Jan 2011] 

www.indexmundi.com/agriculture/?country=ht [Accessed: Jan 2011]


Agriculture : Economics : Future 

Haiti National Agricultural Investment Plan, May 2010 

Priority sub-sectors and investment requirements, 

Donor Pledges Towards 

Haiti’s Agricultural 

Reconstruction 

Infrastructure 

Watershed development 

Reforestation 

Irrigation 

361 MILLION 

Inter- 

American 

Development 

Bank 

(IDB) 

200 MILLION 

Production and value chain development 

Livestock 

Aquaculture and fishing 

Crops 

Input provision 

Credit 

Value chain development 

Urban and peri-urban agriculture 

Local purchase of food aid 

346 MILLION 

United States 

Global 

Agriculture 

and Food 

Security 

Program 

(GAFSP) 

202 MILLION 

35 MILLION 

Agricultural services and institutions 

Extension 

Land access and tenure security 

Research, training, plant health, institutional support 

62 MILLION 

International 

Fund for 

Agricultural 

Development 

(IFAD) 

21 MILLION 

France 

7 MILLION 

TOTAL 

769 MILLION 

TOTAL 

465 MILLION 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

Oxfam.org (accessed Jan. 2011) with: 

MARNDR (2010), National Agricultural Investment Plan, Port-au-Prince: MARNDR and: 

OCHA (http://www.reliefweb.int, accessed 17 September 2010); US government


Agriculture : Economics : Case Study : Haitian_Mangoes 

PLAYERS 

Jean Maurice Buteau 

- Business Man 

- “MANGO MAN” 

Jealene Jermus 

- FARMER 

Pierre Brunache 

- USAID: MarChE 

- NGO 

PROBLEM 

Consumers in New York and Miami want mangoes, but Jean Maurice can’t meet the demand. 

Haiti acutally grows enough Mangoes to meet demand 

Farmers pick Mangoes, but do not clean or store properly for pick up. This results in 

marks and bruises on Mangoes, cannot conceptualize 21st century Americans caring about this. 

IDEA 

Clean the fruit, and transport it in a plastic crate to a facility that is not exposed to the sun 

CONCEPT 

Involve NGO: 

EDUCATE: Provide intermediary to train farmers to use crates, teach them why they would 

want to use them, how to accommodate the needs of people living in the 21st century America. 

INFRASTRUCTURE: Cant just hand out crates to thousands of dispersed farmers, rather you need a 

central place with a simple structure. “Picture a carport, ¼ acre of land with a hose, farmers will bring their mangoes, learn 

how to pack the crates correctly, and how to wash the mangoes.” 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

This American Life: Island Time- ACT ONE. 10,000 BRAINIACS Planet Money: National Public Radio News


Agriculture : Economics : Case Study : Haitian_Mangoes 

STEP ONE: 

LAND 

Jean Maurice contacts someone who knows 

Jealene, and puts them in contact with eachother. 

Jealene is a Mango farmer with alot of land 

looking to possibly double her profits 

to $4/day. Jealene must convince over 

60 family members, who have claim to land 

to donate. After months 

of conversation the family agrees to donate. 

STEP TWO: 

BUILD? 

Mid 2008 Late 2008 

Jean Maurice contacts Pierre and MarChE 

to let them know that land has been 

donated and they can begin building 

the Mango Carport 

NGO [MarChE] tells Jean Maurice, “Great, we 

just need to see a copy of the deed.. 

STEP THREE: 

THE DEED 

Early 2009 

Jealenes family has an ‘understanding’ 

with original family who owned the land, 

but no one knows where to find 

original family or deed. 

Finally a brother remembers an uncle 

who kept papers and was currently 

in New York. He sent papers and 

deed arrives 

STEP FOUR: 

THE TRANSFER 

Transfer of land deed takes 100s of 

steps and 100s of dollars. Not in 

NGO’s budget; “DON’T CHANGE THE 

BUDGET. ” 

Sometimes things happen.. have to find 

money 

MarChE finds Money 

FINAL STEP: 

COOPERATIVE 

Mid 2009 DEC. 2009 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

SUCCESS they get to the last step. 

December 29th, A year and a half after 

they began, farmers form cooperative, 

and bring document to 

Ministry of Social Affairs in Port Au 

Prince. 

DISASTER 

JAN. 2010 

EARTHQUAKE: 

START OVER?... 

2010... 

Document that recognizes them, 

was at ministry of social affairs, and 

this ministry has been “flattened like 

a pancake.” 

USAID cut funding of MarChE 

Mango season 

opens crate-less. 

This American Life: Island Time- ACT ONE. 10,000 BRAINIACS Planet Money: National Public Radio News


Agriculture : Environment : Climate 

40 

35 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

Yearly Average Precipitation and Temperature 

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 

Precipitation (cm) 

Average Temperature (C) 

http://www.climatetemp.info/haiti/ 

Climate 

“Haiti has a generally hot and humid 

tropical climate. The north wind brings 

fog and drizzle, which interrupt Haiti's dry 

season from November to January. But during 

February through May, the weather is very wet. 

Northeast trade winds bring 

rains during the wet season. 

Rainfall is unevenly distributed. 

Heavier rainfall occurs in the southern 

peninsula and in the northern plains and 

mountains. Rainfall decreases from 

east to west across the northern 

peninsula. The eastern central region 

receives a moderate amount of precipitation, 

while the western coast from the northern 

peninsula to Port-au-Prince, the capital, is 

relatively dry” 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

Richard A. Haggerty, ed. Haiti: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1989.


Agriculture : Environment : Geography 

Geography 

Haiti is a country of only about 28,000 

square kilometers, about the size of the 

state of Maryland. It occupies the western third 

of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola 

The mainland of Haiti has three regions: the 

northern region, which includes the northern 

peninsula; the central 

region; and the southern region, 

which includes the southern peninsula. In 

addition, Haiti controls several nearby islands. 

http://www.intute.ac.uk/worldguide/html/905_map.html 

Numerous rivers and streams, which slow to a 

trickle during the dry season and which carry 

torrential flows during the wet season, cross 

Haiti's plains and mountainous areas. The 

largest drainage system in the 

country is that of the Artibonite 

River. 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

Richard A. Haggerty, ed. Haiti: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1989.


Agriculture : Environment : Land Use 

Land area (‘000 ha): 2 756 

Arable land (‘000 ha): 780 

Proportion of Arable Land : 28% 

Permanent crops (‘000 ha): 320 

Forest areas (‘000 ha): 105 

Irrigated land (‘000 ha): 92 

http://www.fao.org/countryprofiles/maps.asp?iso3=HTI&lang=en 

Share in total water use by 

* agriculture: 93.9% 

* industry: 1% 

* domestic use: 5.1% 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

http://www.fao.org/countries/55528/en/hti/


Agriculture : Environment : Average Precipitation and Crop Calendar 

http://www.fao.org/giews/countrybrief/country.jsp?code=HTI 

http://www.bestcountryreports.com/Precipitation_Map_Haiti.html 

Haiti’s growing season is year round 

There are 2 rainy seasons in Haiti: April- 

May and August-October 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

http://www.southtravels.com/america/haiti/weather.html


Agriculture : Environment : Erosion & Deforestation 

“The combination of widespread deforestation and the 

recent earthquake in Haiti could lead to more landslides in 

the already hard-hit country, scientists say (Haiti map). 

Many of Haiti's people, the poorest in the Americas, 

routinely cut down trees for fuel—either to burn "raw" or 

turn into charcoal. 

As a result, the destruction of Haiti's natural forests is almost 

total, making the Caribbean country one 

of the most deforested in the world. 

As Haiti's trees have disappeared, landslides have become a 

major concern, especially during the rainy season, and the 

destabilizing effects of an earthquake on soil only worsen 

the problem. 

Forest canopies serve as natural buffers against wind and 

rain, and the deep roots of trees help keep the granular soil 

from shifting. 

"If you remove the trees, you have no buffer. So the 

water"—and soil—"tends to very quickly move downhill," 

said Mark Ashton, a professor at the Yale School of Forestry 

and Environmental Studies.” -National Geographic 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/01/100114-haiti-earthquake-landslides/ 

The loss of topsoil is devastating to the 

practice of agriculture, as nutrients that have 

been built up over thousands of years and stored in the soil 

can be washed away in a matter of days or years. 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

Than, Ker. “Haiti Earthquake, Deforestation Heighten Landside Risk.” National Geographic News Jan 14, 2010 [Accessed Jan 2011] 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/01/100114-haiti-earthquake-landslides/


Agriculture : Environment : Case Study : Cuba_Urban Agriculture 

‘Urban Agriculture in Havana: Opportunities for the 

Future,’ “describes the innovative and comprehensive model 

supporting food production within the boundaries of its cities 

using a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches. 

With the collapse of the eastern Europe block, and increased 

economic and trade sanctions by the United States, in the 

1990’s Cuba lost more than 75 percent of its import and export 

capacity and was forced to find new ways to supply food to its 

citizens. 

After 1990, reform was passed in Cuba called the National 

Alternative Agriculture Model (NAAM). Similar to Haiti’s current 

situation is that Cuba restructured its land property patterns 

from the large state-owned farms into smaller units with cooperative 

property. This dissemination of land came with support 

to many of the new farmers through advice, material support 

and encouragement in the management of agricultural 

activities, from the Ministry of Agriculture. 

There have been many benefits in Cuba, due to urban 

agriculture, in social, economic, and environmental dimensions, 

including food production and nutritional values, the creation 

of jobs, reduced food prices, and organic production methods. 

Though Cuba was largely forced to develop its urban agricultural 

practices out of necessity, it provides an interesting and 

unique case study into the how a small Caribbean Nation like 

Haiti might successfully develop agriculture within Port-au- 

Prince. 

http://www.urbanhabitat.org/node/4845 

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/urban-agriculture-in-cities.php 


Erosion 

Agriculture 

“Urban Agriculture in Havana: Opportunities for the future.” Jorge Pena Diaz and Professor Phil Harris In: CPULs Continuous Productive Urban 

Landscapes: Designing Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Cities; Pgs: 136-145 Elsevier: Architectural Press; Oxford. Editors: Viljoen, Andre; Bohn,


Natural Hazards 


Erosion/Natural Disaster 

Agriculture 

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/MNIN-82YTA9?OpenDocument&query=haiti%20multi-hazard


Natural Disaster 

Haiti is extremely susceptible to natural 

disasters due to many factors. 

– High Poverty levels 

– Inadaquate building code regulations 

and . enforcement 

– Loss of stable natural protection due to 

deforestation 

– Disruption of natural water sheds 

– Over population 

– Inadaquate disaster response plans 

Images: http://www.architectureweek.com/2010/0407/building_1-1.html 


Erosion/Natural Disasters 

Agriculture


Natural Disaster 



Agriculture 

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/RKRR-8CDR8W?OpenDocument&query=haiti


Natural Hazards 

The January 12th earthquake was compounded 

by other events, caused by, and 

occurring right after the earthquake. 

– The outbreak of cholera exacerbated, 

if not caused, by overcrowding 

and inadequate sanitary conditions in 

displacement camps, land and mud 

slides caused by the earthquake, 

tropical storms and hurricane Tomas, 

and flooding caused by the rainy 

season. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=haiti-cholera-death-toll-soars-as-election-nears-2010-11-15 



Agriculture 

http://www.cdc.gov/haiticholera/update/


Cholera 

http://haiti.humanitarianresponse.info/Portals/0/hti_cholera_cases_110127.pdf 



Agriculture


Erosion 

Images taken from Google Earth 



Agriculture


Disaster: Chile compared with Haiti 

• Severity of the Disaster was enhanced by 

proximity to large populated area. 

• When Compared to the February 27th 

earthquake in Chile which registered an 

8.8 on the Moment Magnitude Scale and 

officially killed 452, the Haiti 7.0 earthquake 

was far more catastrophic with an 

estimated 222,570 deaths.. 

• Many factors are attributed this difference 

in severity. 

• 

According to USGS reports, compared to 

the Chile event, the Haiti earthquake was 

shallower, much closer to a large population 

center, and highly concentrated 

relative to its magnitude value. 

• Chile also has very strict seismic building 

codes. 

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/opinionator/arieff/infographicXL.jpg 

• “Shake maps” created using the Modified 

Mercalli Intensity Scale indicate that haiti 

had vastly more structures, occupied by 

as many more people, subjected to the 

highest levels of shaking 

http://www.architectureweek.com/2010/0407/building_1-1.html 



Agriculture


Disaster: Chile compared with Haiti 

Extreme example of concrete failure. 

The USGS/ EERI 

Advance Reconnaissance 

Team found 

that smooth steel 

with inadequately 

sized hooks was used 

in reinforcing the 

concrete of the Hotel 

Montana. 

http://www.architectureweek.com/cgibin/awimage?dir=2010/0407&article=building_1-2.html&image=14595_image_10.jpg 

http://www.architectureweek.com/cgibin/awimage?dir=2010/0407&article=building_1-3.html&image=14596_image_3.jpg 



Agriculture


Earthquakes 



Agriculture 

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/JOPA-7ZNJWW?OpenDocument


Earthquakes 

• Walter Mooney, a USGS 

earthquake expert who 

traveled to Haiti as part 

of the USGS/ EERI Ad - 

vance Reconnaissance 

Team says that “The 

future is not rosy. They 

have to be prepared for 

another event of equal 

magnitude” within the 

next 10 to 20 years, he 

says. “Historically, that’s 

what happens.” 

http://www.architectureweek.com/2010/0407/building_1-1.html 

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/18/world/americas/0118-haiti-assess-maps.html 

Diagram of the reactions of the 2010 earthquake along Haiti’s southern strike-slip fault 

near Port-au-Prince 



Agriculture


Port-a-Piment Watershed 

– The Port-a-Piment watershed faces a series 

of challenges common throughout Haiti, 

vulnerable populations, deteriorating 

ecosystems and decreasing yields with a 

high livelihood dependency on natural 

resource extraction. 

– Reports indicated that substantial temporary 

in-migration to Port-a-Piment since the 

earthquake has increased the population, 

exacerbated pressure on natural resources, 

and led to food insecurity. 

(http://www.haitiregeneration.org/piment_mvp) 

http://www.haitiregeneration.org/sites/default/files/HRI_ExecutiveSummary_v1-lowres.pdf 



Agriculture 

http://www.haitiregeneration.org/sites/default/files/images/project%20area%20map.jpg



Watersheds major challenges: 

– Extremely low yields for virtually all forms of agriculture 

– Unsustainable and environmentally destructive livestock 

production 

– Low agricultural diversity and minimal rotations and fallow 

and nutrient depleted soils 

– Destructive cultivation of hillside steep slope zones in the 

absence of anti-erosion structures and appropriate long-term 

vegetative cover, resulting in massive erosion and 

permanent productivity losses. 

– Unsustainable harvest of woody biomass, mainly for the 

charcoal market, resulting in deforestation and soil erosion 

– Problematic land tenure, which constrains efforts to invest in 

and sustainable production. 

http://www.haitiregeneration.org/sites/default/files/HRI_ExecutiveSummary_v1-lowres.pdf 



Agriculture 

Images: http://www.haitiregeneration.org/taxonomy/term/30



Port-a-Piment Watershed Program Natural Hazards 

Objectives 

The overall objective for the environment sector is to 

stop and reverse the trends of environmental degradation 

across the watershed. Interventionswill focus on 

new techniques for sustainable charcoal production 

and rebuilding ecosystem services through innovative 

payment schemes and education campaigns. Interventions 

willinclude participatory mapping activities to promote 

better land use management, the establishment 

of tree nurseries, an anti-erosion training program, a 

disaster risk reduction program, and a community forestry 

and 

woodlot program. 

(http://www.haitiregeneration.org/piment_mvp) 



Agriculture

Natural Systems

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