A 2-part series of articles in Triple Pundit looks at how a partnership between Haiti’s Smallholder Farmers’ Alliance (SFA) and the company, Timberland, is transforming livelihoods and increasing tree cover in Haiti.

Haiti has the highest rates of deforestation of any country in the world and only 2 per cent of the country’s original forest remains. This has led to soil loss from erosion, more extreme flooding, degradation of water resources, and habitat destruction; all of which have severely impacted on agriculture and Haiti’s economy. Climate change is exacerbating the situation.

In 2009, SFA was looking for a corporate partner to fund its vision of engaging local smallholder farmers in and around the rural, northern coastal town of Gonaïves to plant trees and help reforest Haiti. Initially they though the project would operate on a ‘cash for work’ model but Timberland was keen on an exit strategy that would ensure the program could be sustained over the long-term.

Through the collaboration, a community agricultural development model was established. Farmers volunteer to grow trees in order to earn seed, tools and training. The training includes how to cultivate an appropriate mix of plants and tree crops.

As a result of the project, farmers have seen many benefits, including healthier soils, land and water resources, higher quality crops and greater yields. In just 5 years, “the agroforestry project has resulted in a sustainable, robust and resilient mix of plant and tree crops that has raised farmers’ incomes and given them free time they have not had for many years to engage in other family and community-based activities and development work,” says one of the articles.

According to Hugh Locke, Co-Founder and President of Haiti’s SFA, the project has boosted agricultural output by some 50 percent, lowered input costs and significantly raised net incomes for farmers and their families. Trees are being planted at a rate of over 1 million per year.

Timberland is now considering replicating the model in other countries where farmers produce materials such as cotton and rubber that the company uses to manufacture clothing and footwear.

Read the articles:

Deforestation Slows Economic Recovery in Haiti
Timberland Agroforestry Project Breaks Cycle of Poverty in Haiti

See also: Trees fund kids’ education in Haiti