Soil formation and erosion at Gros Morne: An innovative project

Against the challenging backdrop of Haiti's mountainous terrain, the Gros Morne sustainable agricultural development project has explored an innovative approach to addressing the challenges posed by the decline of agriculture and environmental degradation. This project has built on the legacy of the Madian Salagnac Centre. A new type of structure for the country, the hard weir with micro-retention, is its flagship feature. This project has attracted considerable interest from many officials. Its success is due both to the hard weir with micro-retention technique and to a 'way of doing things' that is unique to Haiti. Various interventions were ingeniously combined and the project management was outstanding. This account by a practitioner first outlines the erosion issues encountered in Haiti, then takes a detour to explain the major watershed management projects. It then discusses the technical aspects of the Enfants Sans Frontières project and describes the local know-how employed, as well as the project organisation that enabled its implementation.

Pagina's: 60, Paperback, Our Knowledge Publishing