Haiti’s Need
Decades of poor land use practices and a dependence on wood for fuel has left much of the country unable to support human life. However, the catastrophic earthquake which devastated Haiti requires a renewed and urgent focus to be placed on the country’s degraded environment as the remaining natural resources will quickly be depleted. The short-term focus will, of course, be the immediate response to the disaster. Looking beyond this, there is also the need for a long-term plan that will help return Haiti to a productive agricultural economy with the capability to support itself.
As a result of the earthquake, Haiti is witnessing a mass exodus from Port-au-Prince back to the rural areas. However, Haiti’s severely degraded environment and stagnant rural economy will not be able to sustain these desperate refugees now, let alone into the future. Therefore, it is essential to also direct efforts to improve the arable lands to support the people and to provide long-term sources of income.
Trees for the Future and Haiti
Trees for the Future, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization based in Silver Spring, Maryland. Our mission is to assist people to improve their livelihoods and restore degraded lands to sustainable productivity through the planting of beneficial trees. The trees we incorporate into projects provide fruit, sustainable fuel wood and charcoal, animal fodder, construction material, biodiesel and other products to generate income. The trees are typically integrated into local agricultural and gardening systems.
Since early 2002, Trees for the Future has been working on community-led projects throughout Haiti which are designed to address the communities’ most urgent needs. In 2008, we helped over 200 farmers plant approximately 250,000 forest and fruit trees in Leogane, the epicenter of the earthquake, and other rural communities. In 2009, due to our increasing network of people on the ground and organizations supporting our work, the TREES program had even more success. Haiti program coordinator, Timote Georges, worked with communities along the Arcadine coast to plant over 1 million trees. In addition, TREES developed an agroforestry and training office in Leveque, which is fully functional and will continue to provide training and assistance to rural farmers.
Our Work After the Earthquake
Thank you for supporting our numerous projects over the years. We are now appealing to you to provide additional support to increase and improve our efforts in Haiti following this tragedy.
This event has sounded the alarm to the rest of the world that we need to provide assistance and support to Haiti and its people. Trees for the Future will continue to work with rural farmers to bring life and productivity back to the degraded environment and will help Haiti restore its status as the “Pearl of the Antilles.”
The current situation adds a new sense of urgency to expand our projects in 2010. Our area of focus will broaden to cover regions which have been devastated by the earthquake. We will continue to concentrate our efforts on hillside restoration and soil improvement. Our agroforestry approach is based on sustainable agriculture practices that improve crop yields and provide food and income for the people of Haiti. Experience has taught us the land can be rehabilitated and the Haitian people are eager to participate in the process when the necessary assistance is provided.
