Many places are subject to incredibly impoverished conditions, but few where the suffering is so deep and so prevalent as Haiti. Now, an investment in Agroecology could make life much better.
The island nation has an incredibly long history of exploitation by colonial powers, and many of these practices have carried over into the way of life in Haiti today. Gangs control a large portion of the neighbourhoods and cities, the forests have been largely cut down to support extractive industries taking natural resources, and many farmers who work the land have to contend with infertile soil and low margins to take home to their families.
Some groups like the UN have a presence there to help the poorest from the abject poverty that they are subjected to. Still, it’s on a case-by-case basis, as the support only came when a devastating earthquake struck in 2010, with few in the broader world caring much before the event occurred.
Haiti needs a new model for how it can exist and thrive in its environment. Many groups and individuals, such as the Altus Impact advisory, have proposed a new agroecological method to enrich the lives of those most affected.
The extractive economic model in Haiti today is a hangover from the previous imperial powers that dominated the island in its prior history. For nearly 500 years, Haiti was ruthlessly exploited by the Spanish and the French. Only in the past 100 years has Haiti gained any semblance of independence, and even then, the United States had a go at controlling the country for 15 years.
Way of life in Haiti is hard, quick, and brutal. Most of the population depends on agriculture, though this number has declined rapidly since the 1980s. Their agricultural model hasn’t changed much since the plantation owners held control of the island. As a result, almost all of the profits from the sale of the end product go to those who control the farms, which leaves very little for the majority who work the land. However, researchers say this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.
Altus Impact, an advisory board in Switzerland, has compared the land-use budgets of agroecological vs. conventional agriculture models, and the results are very promising. According to their report, the agroecological farmer has doubled their net income compared to the conventional farmer, they maintain larger amounts of green cover and water retention, and their soil richness has increased, not to mention the carbon sequestration from having a diverse network of different plants. While it’s difficult to accurately predict future gains for Haiti switching over to this kind of model, a simple math equation indicates that the gains could be as high as US$700 million annually.
Regenerative models of production are important to implement everywhere. Still, in Haiti, it’s of utmost importance due to the fact that agroecology brings benefits that largely flow to those at the lowest in the food chain. The big lie in our world is that conventional agriculture is the only way that we can utilize to move our countries forward, and that is not true.
The benefits have played out in other countries, and Haiti deserves nothing but the best for its people. Events in Haiti have largely been negative and degrading to the dignity of its population, but the news coming from the island nation could be of regeneration, flourishing, and hope. And if nothing else, that’s what we all need right now.
