Soil erosion due to deforestation in Haiti

May 4, 2021 By Kayleigh

Did you know that seventy percent of Haitians rely on agriculture for their livelihoods? For many this is detrimental right now, as only thirty percent of land is good for cultivation in Haiti. Currently, they are experiencing ongoing soil erosion due to deforestation. The deforestation is driven by small scale farming, charcoal production, corporate and irresponsible regulations. They mainly cut the wood for fuel, for the charcoal production. The land is now bare. This causes the sun to constantly beat down on the soil without the shade from the trees. With obtaining this much sun, the soil to become drier and more infertile. This only adds to the dry and dessert like ecosystem. Not only does this affect society and the cultivation of their land to make money, but also raises many flags in the ecological way. This includes loss of biodiversity, disruption of the water cycle, landslides, lots of climate change and even floods. These all relate back to the trees being cut down. Without trees there are no exchanges being made with carbon dioxide and oxygen and water going into the atmosphere. This is an ongoing issue that needs to be fixed immediately. Without a solution there will be no useable land and some farmers livelihoods will be ruined.

The pictures and videos below show and explain just how much has been cut down and how much land has been affected.