Article Information

• ARTICLE_POSTED_BY: Fritz Gerald Salomon
• ARTICLE_POSTED_ON: May 18, 2012
• Comments : 2
• Views : 685
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• Category : Other
• Description :

  I wrote an Irrigation System project for Haiti in 2008. A good friend, Marc Souverain, who had a vision for his hometown Janjan provided great deals of insights to this project. Unfortunately, he passed away last year after a long battle with cancer and did not have the chance to witness the execution of the project.

Overview

• Introduction

  For the last three decades, many have referred to Haiti as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. In fact, according to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and many other organizations that have contributed in many programs, Haiti has no effective irrigation systems or if any exists they are rudimentary, archaic and inefficient.

  Numerous reports on Haiti’s economic and social hardships have pointed at a lack of agricultural structures among the criteria that have contributed in Haiti’s poverty. The fact is, more Haitians are starving to death and do not have a job to support their family while the country’s infrastructures are unsafe. Haitians have constantly struggled with the lowest level of literacy and education, corrupt government and criminal justice system, and deliberate disregards for human rights. No one expects that Haitians’ living conditions will improve any time soon. In fact, international communities’ leaders fear the worst in the next few years as the United States, Canada and France, other countries that support Haiti, are also struggling with their own problems and may no longer provide Haitian authorities with the necessary aids.

  Historical views

  The last three decades of the twentieth Century have not been easy for both Haiti and Haitians. It could be argued that those who lived in Haiti during the 60s, 70s, and even up until early 80s, could bear witness of the drastic depletion of the country and its natural resources. In actuality, Haiti ranks number five among the most dangerous countries in the Caribbean and is among the most 10 dangerous countries in the world. It all comes down to not being able to provide basic agricultural security by growing traditional crops. More than forty years ago, Haitian farmers grew and produced thousands of tons of coffee annually. Consequently, the government had direct control on crime rate, which conferred a prosperous economy. With an unprecedented production of coffee and other crops such as corn, cocoa, cotton etc, farmers were able to feed their family and send their children to school.    

  In addition to exporting coffee to other countries in the Caribbean and the United States, Haiti had the largest natural resources in the region. In June 1970, the Resources and Transport Division of the U.N. (now CNRET) undertook a structural analysis of the Caribbean with reference to defining favorable super large gold disposition. The conclusion of the research was that from the metallogenetic point of view, the Northern part of Haiti was a favorable area for prospecting for habe metal deposits, especially for copper. Although it may take several decades to make Haiti’s agricultural capabilities functional using low capacity irrigation system to irrigate some regions of the country, it is important to initiate some irrigation projects to promote agricultural growth in rural areas.

  The project: Irrigation System

  An irrigation system can allow farmers to water their farms regardless of the time of the year or the season since they have always relied on rainy season to grow crops. For some reasons, despite of natural disasters that have frequently accompanied those rainy seasons, it seemed as though it unbelievably worked out in their advantage. By implementing an irrigation project, which can be initiated with the minimum equipments in small municipalities of Haiti we can change farmers’ reliance on rainy seasons to produce basic crops. In the end, we can switch from low capacity irrigation systems to more standard or high capacity ones and extend to large cities.

  To maintain lawns and gardens in the United States, homeowners use sprinkler systems. Sometimes Developers include sprinkler systems installation in the overall construction price and every now and then homeowners pay independent contractors to install them. For instance, a ½ Horse Power (HP) well pump can water up to twenty-two hundred square feet on a daily basis. It does not require much to attach a well pump to the irrigation system and branch it out to the areas that need to be watered. Not only do Haitian farmers fail to water their lands as needed and regularly they also do fail to use fertilizers, which can accelerate harvesting processes. There are numerous types of irrigation system, if installed in diverse strategic regions of Haiti will definitely increase agricultural productivity. However, some of the basic equipments such timers, valves, and other special equipments are not available in Haiti and are to be purchased and shipped to Haiti. That is where the need to be assisted by profit or non-profit organizations comes into play.

  Conclusion

  Because of the geographical location of certain cities that offer a variety of resources particularly cultivable soil, rivers, springs etc. they are suitable for “agricultural makeovers.” It is worth mentioning that hundreds of acres of abandoned lands are kept uncultivated, even during rainy seasons. Many of these cities are located in strategic positions with respect to major cities: Leogane, Port-au-Prince, Gonaives, Cap Haitian and Jacmel. Within the first three (3) months of implementing a few irrigation projects, the changes will be very noticeable and farmers will grow some of the most essential crops such as corn, plantains, tomatoes, potatoes and other crops. After satisfactory results, the same project will apply to other towns for similar outcomes.