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Adoption of rock walls as a soil conservation structure in Haiti


Metadata FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributorAuburn University Librariesen_US
dc.contributor.otherAuburn Universityen_US
dc.contributor.otherSouth-East Consortium for International Developmenten_US
dc.contributor.otherUnited States Agency for International Developmenten_US
dc.creatorBayard, Budryen_US
dc.creatorJolly, Curtis M.en_US
dc.creatorShannon, Dennis A.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2019-10-01T14:30:03Z
dc.date.available2019-10-01T14:30:03Z
dc.date.created2004-06en_US
dc.identifierUSAID Grant no. LAG-G-00-97-00002-00; USAID/SECID PLUS Contract no. 521-0217-C-00-5031-00;en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11200/49612
dc.descriptionThe Steeplands project (Soil Management Practices for Sustainable Production on Densely Populated Tropical Steeplands) studies the use of the agroforestry practice known as alley cropping as a means to sustain or improve soil productivity in hillside agriculture in Haiti.en_US
dc.description.abstractLand degradation has been identified as one of the most serious ecological, environmental, and economic problems facing the Haitian society today. One particular problem is soil erosion. Throughout the 19th century, demographic, socioeconomic, and market pressures forced Haitian farmers to clear forest areas in order to grow annual crops on steep and fragile lands. Crop intensification and continuous cultivation of steep lands without supplementary use of conservation practices have accelerated the rate of soil loss in Haiti. Early efforts to restrict environmental damage emanating from soil erosion have focused on mechanical structures, such as rock walls and gully plugs. Since the early 1940s, government and non-governmental agencies have launched several watershed management projects using rock walls as the principal soil conservation practice. Despite the effectiveness of this technique in controlling erosion and the high return on investment, its diffusion throughout Haiti is limited. When the practice is adopted, the structures are not adequately maintained. Previous studies focused on land tenancy and investment costs. They indicated that high capital expenditures for installation of rock walls and the lack of land security discouraged farmers from investing in rock walls, even in areas where rocks are abundant. This investigation concentrates on the adoption and management of rock walls in Fort-Jacques, a hilly area located about 30 miles southeast of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. The results presented in this publication are based on a survey conducted on 115 farm households in the Fort-Jacques area between December 1999 and January 2000. Fort-Jacques is considered one of the zones where farmers have historically invested in rock walls without government subsidy. Adoption of this practice, which requires significant cash and labor investments, is influenced by the value of the crops grown in this area and the slope of the land. Encouraging adoption and management of rock walls in Fort-Jacques and surrounding areas is important because of the negative impacts of soil erosion on the environment, and the threat soil erosion represents to downstream villages. Farmers' behavior toward adoption and management of rock walls in the study area is influenced by social and economic factors. Gender, training in soil conservation, and per capita income are found to be positively and significantly influential in the adoption of rock walls. The results imply that male farmers are more likely to adopt rock walls than females. Also, training in soil conservation practices raises farmers' awareness of the potential damage of soil erosion, and consequently positively affects the adoption of conservation measures. Nonetheless, implementation of rock walls is cash demanding. Farmers with higher per capita income seem to be more likely to invest in rock walls than low-income farmers. Larger farms and group membership inhibit the adoption of rock walls as evidenced by the negative sign of the coefficients. Limited resource farmers, whose survival depends on the piece of land they operate, are more likely to adopt rock walls because less cash is needed to protect a small farm than a larger one. It is obvious that rock walls are very important to small-scale farmers in Fort-Jacques. A number of farm operators have established rock wall structures on their plots to facilitate the production of vegetable crops. The study shows the importance of socioeconomic factors in farmers' decisions to adopt and manage rock wall structures. Improvement of the market channels for both inputs and outputs of the main vegetable crops produced in the area may be an important step toward encouraging the adoption of rock walls in Fort-Jacques.en_US
dc.formatapplication/PDFen_US
dc.languageengen_US
dc.publisherAuburn University, Ala. : United States Agency for International Development, Soil Management Collaborative Research Support Program, Auburn Universityen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseriesTechnical bulletin ; no. 2004-06en_US
dc.rightsThis document is the property of the Auburn University Libraries and is intended for non-commercial use. Users of the document are asked to acknowledge the Auburn University Libraries.en_US
dc.subjectSoil conservation--Haitien_US
dc.subjectSoil conservation--Research--Haitien_US
dc.subjectSoil conservation--Economic aspects--Haitien_US
dc.subjectRock wallsen_US
dc.subjectRetaining walls--Haiti--Fort Jacquesen_US
dc.subjectSoil conservation--Haiti--Fort Jacquesen_US
dc.subjectTerracing--Haiti--Fort Jacquesen_US
dc.titleAdoption of rock walls as a soil conservation structure in Haitien_US
dc.typeTexten_US

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