http://www.fao.org/globalsoilpartnership This presentation was made during the Regional conference on the Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean soil partnership that took place in La Habana, Cuba 30 Sep-03 Oct 2013. The presentation has the objective to present Estado, Prioridades y Necesidad para el Manejo sostenible de suelos en Haiti. ©FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. MINISTERIO DE AGRICULTURA, DE RECURSOS NATURALES Y DEL DESARROLLO RURAL(MARNDR)
DIRECCION DE RECURSOS FORESTALES Y SUELOS (DRFS)
Taller de lanzamiento de la Alianza Mundial por el suelo: hacia la Prevencion y Restaucion de suelos degradados en
Centro America y el Caribe
Estado, Prioridades y Necesidad para el Manejo sostenible de suelos en Haiti
Technical STAFF
Donald Joseph, Jocelyn Louissaint, Jean Serge Antoine, Oge Pierre-Louis, Karly Jean Jeune, Ernso
Thomas, Rose Erda Eugene, Joseph Hans Guillaume, Joseph Dievilhomme Denis
Havana, Cuba del 30 de Septiembre al 3 de Octubre 2013

2. HAITI ES UN PAIS DE CUENCAS
Haiti has a forest cover ranges from
1.5-2%
Watershed Priorities

4. ARBOL DE LOS PROBLEMAS

5. Efecto negativo
Cambio climatico
Diminucion de la
produccion Agricola
Erosion acelerada de
tierras
Diminucion de
ingresos de los
agricultores
Exodo rural
Inseguridad
de tenencia
de tierra
Desastres Naturales
Mal manejo y uso de
tierras
Deforestacion
excesiva
Poco acceso a los servicios
de Base
Apoyo tecnico
inadecuado
Ley de Marco legal de
Manejo de Recursos
Naturales no aplicada
o no actualizada
Ineficiencia de los
programas de
conservacion de suelos
Empobrecimiento
Creciente del
mundo rural
Diminucion de la fertilidad
de suelos
Modo de
tenencia de
tierra

6. The World Bank study on the management of natural resources in Haiti from 1990
estimates of soil losses for some watersheds ranging from 7.5 MT / ha. / Year to 750 MT
/ ha. / Year. The report also indicates that loss of the order of 12 to 150 MT / ha. / Year
can be seen in many parts of the country

8. 1.First observations
• Few national studies on soil survey
• Some studies mainly related to soil fertility and
management (Fertilization and plant nutrition) -
MARNDR/PPI – MARNDR-KR2-
WINNER/USAID - UNEP et Columbia U. Earth
Institute
• Some soil studies at regional level.

9. 2. Main regional soil studies

10. Soil survey at the Artibonite Valley, 1926
• Exclusively conducted for food production
mainly rice
• Good data on soil fertility
• No soil classification
• Not related to other utilization.

11. Technical and Economical report on the Development
of the Artibonite Valley, 1950
• Follow-up of the previous study
• Same objectives
• No soil classification

12. The « Cul-de-Sac Plain : Irrigation, Drainage and Flood
Control Development 1956)
• Study limited to provide to support agricultural
production and to control flooding in the area;
• No data on soil classification;
• No recommendation on urbanism.

13. « Survey on soil and water at Gonaïves Plain and the
North West Department » UN: (FAO/SF : 45/HAI-3
Vol.2 Pédologie, 1969)
• Study related to soil and water conservation and
utilization through a FAO project with specific emphasis
on agriculture
• No classification aspect.

14. “ Northern Haiti: Land, Land Use and Settlement” “A
Geographical Investigation of the Department du
Nord” (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1963)
• First study related to land use including urbanization
• No detailed data on soil classification

15. Soil survey at the Limbé watershed for the project on
mountain agriculture (1979-1980 : MARNDR/FAO)
• Good soil fertility study
• Accurate for agricultural activities
• No data on soil classification
• No recommendation on land use

16. Soil Inventory of the Acul-Dubreuil watershed,
1980, PDAI (MARNDR /USAID)
• Done mainly for soil conservation and
agricultural production
• No data on soil classification
• Very limited area.

17. 3. National soil studies

18. Soil survey conducted by OEA (Integrated Technical
Assistant Mission 1972)
• Study contains much more information that the
previous ones – limited application
• Covers the entire country, but conducted at very
small scale
• Very limited data on soil chemical properties
• Recommendations on soil potentialities.

20. Soil Inventory by BDPA/SCETAGRI en 1982
(MPCE)
• The unique soil classification study which covers
the entire country
• Very small scale with much extrapolation
• Low level of precision because of limited field
work – mostly based on 1978 aerial photos
• Strongly needs to be up dated

21. CMc Calcaric Cambisols
CMe Eutric Cambisols
CMx Chromic Cambisols
LVh Haplic Luvisols
LXh Haplic Lixisols
LXh Haplic Lixisols
VRe Eutric Vertisols

22. 4. Conclusions
• Soil studies produce maps at small scale that
provide general information:
• Lack of details for farmers, agricultural
entrepreneurs, planners of soil utilization,
engineers, environmental specialists and
business that need accurate information on
soils.

23. Haiti soil profiles from selected fertility studies

24. 1. Overview of Haiti morphology

25. Overview (cont.)
• Haiti: mountainous western third of the Island of
Hispaniola 27,750 sq. Km
• Approximately 63% of all lands have slopes greater than
20%, and only 29% have slopes of less than 10%.
• Less than 20% of the land under cultivation is well
appropriate for agriculture

26. 1. Overview (cont.)
•Predominantly
calcareous parental
materials
•Some basaltic
materials in several
areas of the country

27. 2. Landscapes (Kenscoff, Savane désolée)

28. 2. Landscapes (Ennery-Quinte)

29. 2. Landscape (Sedren)

30. 2. Another landscape (South)

31. 3. Flat lands (Central Plateau)

32. 3. Flat lands at Vital (North West)

33. 3. Flat lands (Artibonite valley)

34. 4. Haiti soil suborder map (USDA, 2010)

35. 5. Selected soil profiles and cultivated
areas
Soil distribution in Haiti shows great variability, because
of the Geomorphology and significant differences in
rainfall. Calcareous soils from sedimentary rocks
predominate, however, across the country and more
than 80% of the territory, the rest being made up of
materials of volcanic origin.

36. Profile of a soil type at Los Posos (Center)
Black surface layer on top
of light yellow materials

37. Profile of a soil type at Papaye
Uniformed yellow
color profile with coarse materials

38. Hydromorphic soil

39. Stable alluvial soil profile (Saint-Louis)
Uniformed gray color profile with rocks at the bottom

40. Humic soil profiles at Bohoc

41. Humic soil profiles (Fond Blanc)

42. Soil with vertic characteristics

43. Hillside soil type (Belladère)

44. Stable soil profile at Terrier Rouge
Moderate rate
of OM (3,5%

45. Light yellow soil surface profile (Lassine)

46. Uniformed soil profile (Trou du Nord)

47. Another soil type profile (Roche Plate

48. Cultivated soil (Kenscoff)

49. • Project Activities Enhancement soil and Crop
Productivity
Programa de Manejo Racional de Fertilizantes
• Base de Datos sur la Distribucion de los Fertilizantes
• Base de Datos sobre el uso y aplicaciones de los Fertilizantes
•Recomendaciones de Formulas de fertilizantes
•Evaluacion de Tasas de Erosion de Suelos y Tecnicas de
conservacion de suelos

50. Activities already carried out in Soil Management and Crop
productivity

52. Activities already carried out in Soil Management and Crop
productivity

53. CONCLUSION
•Wide range of soil types
•Large range of orders and suborders
•Different levels of potentialities
•Various ecological niches
•Several tropical crop systems
•High variety of crops

54. PRIORIDADES DEL MINISTERIO DE AGRICULTURA DE
HAITI EN EL MARCO DEL MANEJO SOSTENIBLE DE
SUELOS
RETOS A FUTUROS

55. Adaptacion al
Cambio
Aumento de la
produccion Agricola
Diminucion de
Erosion des tierras
Aumento de ingresos
los agricultores
Migracion
Controlada
Seguridad
en tenencia
de tierra
Impacto mitigado de
desastres Naturales
Buen Manejo y uso de
tierras
Reforestacion
Acceso a los servicios de
base: educacion y salud
Apoyo tecnico
adecuado y optimo
Ley sobre manejo de
los recursos naturales
actualizada
Eficacidad de los
programas de
conservacion de suelos
Diminution du niveau de
pauvrete en milieu rural
Mejoramiento de la
fertilidad de suelos

56. °
1.Desarrollo de un programma de Manejo Integral de suelos:
• Clasificacion de los suelos en todo el pais
•Implentacion de programas de conservacion de suelo y
Modelos de manejo para diversas zonas agroecologicas de
montanias,
•Aptitud de los suelos del pais,
•Promocion e incitaciones a los agricultores hacia las buenas
practicas agricolas
•4. Actualizacion de las Leyes existentes sobre el manejo
sustentable de Tierras
•°

57. Thank you very much for your attention