Haiti: better prepared for the future

Farmers extracting sugarcane juice in Jacmel

Sarah Marsh joined CAFOD as our Programme Officer for Haiti in 2011.

On my first trip to Haiti with my CAFOD hat on, I visited an earthquake-affected community in Jacmel. Having spent the last 12 months working in the city of Port-au-Prince for another aid agency, it came as almost a relief to be able to drive down to the smaller town of Jacmel, one of the more forgotten areas of Haiti that was affected by the earthquake.

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The community we visited was located on the side of a mountain, removed from the main thoroughfare. It was quite isolated as a result, with a distinct rural feel.

The families on these steep slopes were just as affected by the earthquake and tropical storms that have savaged the country as those in the larger urban areas. Their one saving grace was that they didn’t find themselves in the cramped block houses that spread across the urban areas, something which limited extreme damage.

In order to protect the farmers’ fields and homes from landslides – which can happen after earthquakes, tropical rain or severe gales – we are supporting the local Caritas office in implementing “Disaster Risk Reduction” projects with selected members of the community.

Farmers in Jacmel are building natural barriers to reduce the impact of landslides

These people are learning how to build protecting walls in order to brace the steep sloping land. They are also learning which plants, trees and shrubs have the strongest roots so that they can build up natural barriers.

In amongst all of this important disaster preparedness work lies an unintended impact. One of the farmers proudly showing me his field also told me how grateful he was to have tools to work the land.

“How long have you been a farmer?” I asked.

“All my life,” he replied.

“But what did you use until now?” I asked again.

“My hands!” he exclaimed, laughing at the idea that there would have been any other way of tilling his fields.

The farmers of Jacmel are incredibly grateful for even the smallest tools. It’s a reminder of how poor many people in rural Haiti were even before the earthquake – and a fantastic by-product of the project.

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