Cibaeño75, planting hemps? Where are they going to plant them? They do not have enough soil for that. They eliminated the trees, then the erosion came and finally they have destroyed the part where the plants can grow up (the “capa vegetal” in Spanish) .

They only have 5% of their resources nowadays and a big percentage of the lost zone has irreversible damage. It is literally true: they have destroyed the Western part of our island and you have to see how loud they talk even about problems with the environment.

PeRod, Said
Arkatype, very interesting report, but it is a mistake to talk about “its lost forests” in Haiti. It is “its destroyed forests” because actually it was destroyed in a long time (not in days) just in the must irresponsible way and with the whole world asking them to stop that terrible action.

We are not perfect but we are far, far away from what they are and a lot of people pretend to say that does not count for anything.

That is one of my points in any conversation between the two parts in our island. You can not be a beast socially, politically and even with the environment and take a seat in a table as another thing than a beast. You have to behave yourself if you want all the considerations they understand they deserve.

Someday I hope we will be in a G-group, (G-20, G-30, but where the leadings nations talk –dreaming is free–) but I know we do not have a seat in that table yet and I know another thing too: Haiti can not be seated in a table with us as the same thing. We have fought too hard and that can not be our destiny.

Arkatype, Said PeRod i agree with your assessment, your right on the money.

".

The problem is that some areas are naturally difficult to cultivate and some easy. The difficult areas require much labour and inputs. It is desirable for a good social strucure that people carry on cultivating these areas and do not go and work in 'dollar a day', race to the bottom shirt factories. So therefore some price support is required, low cost fertilizer, or whatever. At the same time the 'internal economy' can thrive because it is self-supporting like in 1970. So Vietnam is careful to protect its farmers, Haiti not. Techniques for sustainable local agriculture do exist.
People search for the next' 'wonder crop' but of course even this crop can be grown with lower inputs elsewhere.
The need is to drive a welfare economy with still many people employed on the land - as even if this is inefficient there little development space to provide other meaningful oportunities. Only wait for the aid truck.
S.

Cibaeño75, perhaps this can help you to see the real situation:

“La Agencia de EEUU para el Desarrollo Internacional estima que solamente un 1.5 por ciento de Haití está forestado, comparado con un 60 por ciento en 1923…
En Haití se cortan cada año unos tres millones de árboles, según la USAID.
"Todo el país está abocado a un desastre ecológico'', dijo la nueva primer ministro de Haití Michele Pierre-Louis. "No podemos seguir así. En cualquier momento vamos a desaparecer. No habrá 400, 500 ó 1,000 muertos, sino un millón de muertos''. La anegada Gonaives, que parece un tazón ubicado en una llanura entre el océano y las montañas, solo cuenta parte de la historia de la crisis medioambiental haitiana."
El Nuevo Herald
Publicado el lunes 13 de octubre del 2008

(Bold and italic are mine)

Cibaeño75, the main problem is not the deforestation is the topsoil.

In others parts of the planet over the years the winds and rains had removed the topsoil but in Haiti that process have been extremely accelerated by the Haitian irresponsibility.
Without topsoil you can not plant hemps or any other plants and in Haiti you are going to find a huge zone (and I mean huge) without topsoil.

Arkatype, Said Question Haitianation. Reporter Teresa Bo said this about child slavery in Haiti or Restaveks, and i quote..... " THE GOVERMENT ACKNOWLEDGES IT EXIST AND SAY'S ITS PART OF THE CULTURE " You people are a bunch of savages and scumbags for real, so much for the empire????? child abusers!!!!! You should be ashamed of yourselves for reaching such lows as a society. You haven't answered the crucial question the restavek situation in Haiti. This is the traditional way your people solve things through stupid means, this is happening today. Imagine what was going on in the past when you're brutal dictator Jean Pierre Boyer was in power. Again slavery still thrives in Haiti. Haitian1804 you did not free anyone, your people are still in bondage. And worse haitians are enslaving other haitians you people are sick!!!!! We don't want your types in our country, you're retrogressive types should stay in your side of the island or move to Africa f**k off.


Haitianation, Said
ARKATYPE Get a life.

Arkatype, Said What i expected a shalllow answer. You people love to boast about ending slavery but yet enslave yourselves. You dont see anything wrong with that picture? Oh i forgot, you have a peanut for a brain.

A report pertaining to Haiti's deforestation red alert. These people don't deserve to enter our country, they dont care about their own nation why should they care about another country. Dominicans wake up from the slumber. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/23/forests-flooding


An article questioning if the U.S. should or should not, grant financial aid to Haiti? It is perfectly clear that the goverment or as i dubbed it the "Ghost Goverment" in Haiti, only looks out for their self enrichment and don't care at all for it's populace.

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_11064825

Terracing is one answer. Food crops are important including beans and other nitrogen fixing crops.
http://martinperez.asia/2007/01/20/the-secret-of-the-banaue-rice-terraces/
Commkittees and co-operatives in Vietnam have transformed agricuture.
http://www.asiarice.org/sections/Whatsnew/Vietnam27.html
Vietnam agricultural advisers are in many other countires.
"
Our agriculture has made great leaps in 20 years of renovation. In the past we didn’t produce enough rice for local consumption but now we export rice and many other agricultural products, such as rubber, coffee and cashews. Vietnamese agriculturists are helping African countries to produce food. This is a good opportunity for Vietnam to become an agriculturally powerful nation.
"
Prof Dau The Tuan

http://vietnamville.ca/index.php?view=News&op=viewst&sid=1536
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2008/07/792133/
S.

Would Vietnam be like Haiti now if they had not fought the USA?
S.

Japan fought the USA and lost ... with possible exception of UK they are pound-for-pound champion of all nations.