As part of the activities of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, the Ministry of the Environment (MDE) and the United Nations Organization for Agriculture and Food (FAO) in Haiti have called for a combination efforts to combat this scourge in Haiti.

Desertification is the land degradation of arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas due to various factors including climate variations and human activities explained Nicole Yolette Altidor Director General of the MDE adding "The process of desertification is indeed underway in Haiti," recalled the Director General of the Ministry of the Environment, Nicole Yolette Altidor.

Land degradation indicators point to a worrisome situation as a result of alarming deforestation and inappropriate agricultural practices "This is a scourge that gnaws this country," said Nathanael Hishamunda, FAO Representative in Haiti.

A mapping study of land use in 8 communes of Grand-Anse published by FAO in 2015 indicates a sharp decrease in dense agro-forestry systems of around 60% on average over 17 years, between 1998 and 2015. The communes of Anse d'Hainault (85.12%), Bonbon (68.8%), Moron (68.4%) are the most affected and that of Jérémie (38.9%) the least affected.

Water erosion is identified as the main direct cause of this land degradation. It especially hits the most severely the communes of Moron (100%), Anse d'Hainault 100%, Chambelan (100%), Abricots (100%) among others.

For Hishamunda, the fight against desertification and drought necessarily involves reforestation, soil conservation management and conservation of wood resources and watershed management.

Faced with this observation, Nicole Yolette Altidor proposes to raise awareness of the citizens of the entire country and Grande-Anse in particular, on the risks of desertification in economic and environmental terms. She calls for "good land management so that they provide enough to survive but also a place where individuals and communities can build a better future".

Altidor wants to capitalize on the first results of the Action against Desertification (ACD) project, funded by the European Union for 2 million euros https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16948-haiti-environment-action-project-against-desertification.html in order to replicate them as far as possible in other areas of desertification in the country.

She took the opportunity to reiterate the call for the commitment of all to raise awareness of the population on the management of sustainable management of the environment and natural resources. This call is in line with the initiative of the Association of Mayors of Grand-Anse, which took the decision to fight the production of charcoal and its sale to other departments, in order to reduce the pressure on trees.

See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-24719-icihaiti-grand-anse-follow-up-of-the-work-of-the-germplasm-center.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-23001-icihaiti-environment-workshop-on-land-degradation-in-the-country.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-17773-haiti-environment-un-calls-for-the-fight-against-desertification-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-17656-haiti-environment-un-urges-haiti-to-good-environmental-and-agricultural-practices.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16948-haiti-environment-action-project-against-desertification.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-14877-haiti-environment-$2-2m-to-fight-against-desertification.html

HL/ HaitiLibre