2023-06-23 05:14:38
Simple and affordable agricultural and water resource management techniques help farmers adapt to natural disasters and climate change
Derniella Noel hoped to be able to produce enough fruit and vegetables this year on her land in Maïssade, a commune in central Haiti, to earn a decent income and feed her family of five. But it was not possible this year either. So she decided to also work as a veterinarian and a teacher.
In recent years, Derniella, a 49-year-old mother and lifelong small-scale farmer, has seen the climate change significantly. Combined with recurring natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and droughts, farming no longer generates enough income for her family.
Haiti has been increasingly hit by natural disasters and the effects of climate change on the island are flagrant. Rural communities have had to face a high risk of losing their crops and a lack of resources to deal with climate variability. Like Derniella, many farmers have been forced to diversify their activities and find alternative sources of income to support their families.
The management of water resources has been a matter of particular concern. With less rain than in previous years, farmers have had to find other ways to irrigate their crops. This has been one of the main challenges that the Enhanced Agricultural Adaptation (SAGA) project, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has helped farmers to face.
“Climate change affects us enormously. We find it more difficult to cultivate our gardens because of the lack of proximity to water. To irrigate our plots, we have to walk for up to an hour to reach the river and draw water from there,” explains Derniella.
As an effective solution, the SAGA project, funded by the Government of Quebec, helped farmers implement a drip irrigation system using plastic barrels, known as drums. One or more barrels are placed high up and connected to hoses or pipes that distribute the water to the crops below. Each drum holds 208 liters of water, and can be easily made and maintained by farmers with limited resources. This system is a cheap and simple method of irrigating small plots.
“Once we fill the plastic barrels, we can go several days without going to the river to draw water,” says Derniella.
For smallholder farmers who depend on agriculture for their livelihood and represent the majority of Haiti’s rural population, solutions like this are key.
“We have been suffering the effects of climate change for several years,” says Tilus Baudelaire, 38. He, too, has seen his production decline in recent years.
“The rainy season has become very irregular. For those of us who practice commercial horticulture, this greatly disrupts our activity, because horticulture cannot adapt to rainfall regimes, but rather depends on regular irrigation, either by means of pumps or using the drip system with plastic barrels,” he explains. .
In Haiti, the SAGA project has been working with partners on the ground, including the Center for International Studies and Cooperation, to help farmers adapt to climate change, extreme weather events and market fluctuations. Through farmer field school groups, they are learning to apply integrated water resources management techniques and to use cropping calendars so that production can continue even when rains fail or drought sets in.
They are also learning practical business and marketing methods, such as pooling resources to purchase agricultural inputs and services, and group selling of harvested produce.
Tilus notes: “Through the SAGA project, we learned various techniques during our training sessions, including effective management of water resources to avoid (water) waste.”
“We have also learned to prepare the ground. We cannot irrigate the old way. The drip irrigation system with plastic barrels, introduced last year, is better suited to small plots.”
This drip irrigation system increased yields by around 50% compared to other methods of water supply.
For Derniella, the increased return from her farm has boosted her income, and she is now more independent and better able to support her family. In time, she hopes to be able to focus on farming without having to multi-task.
“The SAGA project has been very beneficial for us. We will continue to share this knowledge in all the farmer field schools in our community to help better manage commercial gardens and produce vegetables for sale, but also for family feeding.”
Now Tilus does not depend on rain for water to irrigate his land either, thanks to the techniques he learned during his training.
“Before, we worked conventionally. Now we know how to treat the soil, how to care for diseased plants, when and how to fumigate our gardens. When we work with precision techniques, we use fewer resources. So the project has helped us by giving us technical knowledge on sustainable farming practices,” says Tilus.
The SAGA project’s focus on smallholder farmers, with particular attention to women and youth, and community-based approaches in Haiti are crucial not only for rural people’s food security and livelihoods, but also for resilience and the sustainability of the entire agri-food system of the country.
With the support of the Government of Quebec, the SAGA project has been working since 2018, helping communities build their resilience and adaptability to climate change in Haiti and Senegal. This year, the project is expanding to Côte d’Ivoire.
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