Using Agricultural Byproducts in the Effort to Restore Haiti’s Forests: Composted Sugarcane Bagasse as a Soil Amendment in Haitian Silviculture

Authors

David Alexander Carroll II, Brigham Young University
Dr. Bryan Hopkins, Brigham Young University

Keywords

agricultural byproducts, Haiti's forests, sugarcane bagasse, Haitian silviculture

College

Life Sciences

Department

Plant and Wildlife Sciences

Abstract

In Haiti, widespread deforestation in mountainous and hilly areas has led to a diverse array of environmental problems, including biodiversity loss, habitat fragmentation, sedimentation of rivers, severe soil erosion and lower water content in mountain soils, flooding in coastal areas, bleaching and death of offshore coral reefs, and hotter, and drier microclimates in deforested areas. Socioeconomic problems related to deforestation include lower crop yields on mountain semi-subsistence farms, increased rates of poverty and malnutrition in rural communities, property damage and death associated with severe floods and landslides, and increased frequency of waterborne illnesses. Thus, environmental problems related to deforestation are perpetuating many of the country’s most serious developmental problems. Indeed, the vast majority of Haiti’s forests have disappeared, with only 1-3% of the country’s land area remaining under forest cover today1. The biggest driving force behind deforestation currently is Haiti’s dependence on woodbased charcoal as a cooking fuel for the majority of the population.

Recommended Citation

Carroll II, David Alexander and Hopkins, Dr. Bryan (2014) "Using Agricultural Byproducts in the Effort to Restore Haiti’s Forests: Composted Sugarcane Bagasse as a Soil Amendment in Haitian Silviculture," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014: Iss. 1, Article 931.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/931