Developing Integrated Soil Erosion and Soil Quality Approaches for Sustainable Agricultural Systems in Haiti.

A USAID-funded pilot soil survey for a 3000 ha segment of the Cul-de-Sac area in Haiti was conducted by USDA-NRCS.  Interpretations were developed for urban planning, grazing, forestry, agriculture and land restoration. The focus of this project was to increase capacity of the Haiti Ministry of Agriculture to provide leadership and create partnerships with other ministries and groups to develop within-country capacity to conduct additional soil surveys and soil information delivery tools. The Haiti soil survey and conservation planning project will demonstrate the value of soil survey as a tool for conservation, environmental and community planning, and possibly land tax assessment. Databases for RUSLE2 (approved NRCS water erosion model) were developed including climate, soil, and crop management templates. Sheet and rill erosion as well as soil quality trends for the pilot area were then estimated. Multiple runs were conducted to compare effectiveness of alternative conservation practices on erosion and soil quality.  Preliminary recommendations were provided for developing integrated sustainable systems that address soil, water, air, plant, animal, human, and energy resource concerns for further evaluation in a subsequent project.  NRCS specialists in collaboration with their Haitian counterparts will develop RUSLE2 attributes based on soil information as well as crop management systems from the pilot area for this database.  Ministry technicians and University of Haiti graduates will be trained to run the RUSLE2 model using site-specific information to compare soil erosion under different land management scenarios. Skills learned during training and project activities will contribute toward capacity building to meet the nation’s agenda for sustainable land use, soil and water conservation, and agricultural productivity as part of the “Feed the Future” Program.

¹ Conservation Agronomist, USDA-NRCS, NSSC, Lincoln, NE; ² Soil Scientist, USDA-NRCS, World Soil Resources, Greensboro, NC; ³National Leader, World Soil Resources, USDA-NRCS, Washington DC; ⁴National Leader, Technical Soil Services, USDA-NRCS, Lincoln, NE; ⁵ Soil Scientist-Spatial Data Analyst, USDA-NRCS, NSSC, Morgantown, WV.