Soil Conservation Efforts Endure the Storm
In Jean Rabel, local farmers are building resilience by learning and applying soil conservation techniques on their land. As part of the program, farmers installed anti-erosion structures, including rock walls, contour canals, and hedges.
The anti-erosion structures prevent water from washing away topsoil. This considerably reduces erosion. As a result, farmers have been able to cultivate a variety of crops. Fields surrounding the structures have been planted with plantains, papayas, sweet potatoes, pigeon peas, manioc, lima beans, corn, peanuts, yams, sugarcane, and other vegetables.
Gelisnet, a participating farmer, shared, “I have been a farmer for over 30 years. This season I am harvesting a lot of pigeon peas and manioc thanks to the soil conservation structures on my land. These structures prevent the water from removing topsoil, which leads to better results.”
Another participant, Kerline, explained, “I planted papaya next to the contour canals. Thanks to the good soil for the papayas, they gave a lot of fruit. I feel like we cannot plant papaya anymore on land without soil conservation structures.”
When Hurricane Melissa struck the region in October 2025, the structures were put to the test. Extreme winds impacted taller crops like plantains and manioc, particularly in exposed plots. After the storm, manioc had to be harvested too soon, meaning that not all was suitable for consumption and had to be fed to the animals. The wind also damaged the flowering pigeon peas, which led to major losses.
However, every single anti-erosion structure remained intact, suffering no damage from the storm. Some farmers had no loss of crops at all or were able to replant and recover well. In a region so frequently threatened by natural disasters, these soil conservation efforts represent resilience.
As another participant, Medard, reflects, “I have begun to value this land differently. Without the soil conservation work, I could not have had this kind of plot. I know the importance it has.”
Haiti Jean Rabel is led by Church World Service and local partner Association Groupes Evangéliques d’Haïti pour la Prédication du Monde et le Développement d’une Nouvelle Génération (AGEHPMDNG)