Land Use, Soil Degradation, and Farmer Decision-Making: A Sondeo Report of Cavalier, Despa, Kols, and Saut Mathurine, Haiti

Abstract

This sondeo report focuses on farming systems in the areas of the Proje Sove Te (PST) watersheds in Southwestern Haiti. It provides a review of information learned during the rapid reconnaissance surveys of four sites where work on agricutural development and soil conservation was being carried on by NGOs participating in the Proje Sove Te Sustainable Agriculture/Agroforestry project. This report also analyzes some of the basic dimensions of farmer decision-making that can be abstracted from these studies. The individual site descriptions presented in this report show that, whereas all the areas are degraded, each has its distinct land use history/ socio-environmental processes that lead to a degraded landscape. Degradation in these areas is caused by many factors; that they all result in the same end is a reflection both of the fragile nature of many of the local environments and the wider socioeconomic processes to which all peasants are subject. The information and analysis presented in this report is oriented towards problem-solving.