Trees for the Future - a sustainable development organization - works with local farmers in Bethel, Haiti to restore their degraded lands. Through community-based agroforestry we plant multipurpose, fast-growing trees along with local crops to combat deforestation, food insecurity, and the flooding of the Bethel River.
Haiti is in a state of environmental catastrophe. In the 1920s, 60 percent of Haiti was covered with forests. At present, an alarming 2% of the forest-cover remains. Deforestation has led to erosion, decreasing crop yields and devastating landslides throughout the country. Farmers and communities in Haiti are suffering. In addition to these issues, the community we work with in Bethel experiences flooding from the nearby Bethel river, increasing its vulnerability to environmental disasters.
We work on the ground with local farmers to plant trees and local crops, restoring their lands and increasing their incomes while building resistance to natural disasters. Our program trains farmers and communities techniques that allow them to prevent topsoil erosion, increase yields, create natural living fences, and address environmental disasters, such as flooding.
Farmers and communities invest significant time into mastering our training program, empowering them to restore their lands and ensuring that they continue to use the skills that we teach them. Through community-lead efforts, Bethel's degraded lands will be restored, improving resistance to natural disasters and increasing crops yields for the local farmers resulting in a healthier and sustainable economy.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Excel file (projdoc.xls).
