USAID Reforestation Project FY 18 Annual Progress Report

The project integrates market-driven income-generating activities as incentives to achieve its goals and four component results: reducing the threat of deforestation, improving resilience to economic and natural shocks, increasing tree cover in targeted areas, and improving environmental governance and coordination. The project has selected five priority watersheds to focus on: Haut du Cap, Grande Rivière du Nord, Trou du Nord, Marion, and Jassa/Lamatry. Detailed analyses were conducted on current tree cover in the North and North East departments and historic gains/losses in tree cover since 2000. A Political Economy Analysis (PEA) was launched to identify social, political, economic, and governance challenges and obstacles that the project may face. Based on quantitative and qualitative data collected during these assessments, the project has selected the following priority zones within the targeted watersheds: Capotille, Parc des 3 Bays, Bahon, Bay de l’Acul, Vallières, and Grande Rivière du Nord. Initial efforts toward improving resilience to economic and natural shocks centered around engagement with Centre d’Agriculture Saint Barnabas (CASB), who has expressed interest in and taken steps towards becoming a leading regional institution in agroforestry extension services and local organization capacity building. The project's exit strategy includes formally creating at CASB a center for sustainable rural development (CRDD) focused on agroforestry and beekeeping. Agroforestry product market development will be key to increasing livelihood opportunities for project beneficiaries. The project evaluated the tree species it will focus on to increase tree cover in its targeted areas. They fall within five general categories: fruit, forest, fuel, melliferous (beekeeping) and forage. Consideration of local context and constraints is critical. For example, the project studied the feasibility of citrus production in light of the prevalence of citrus greening disease in Northern Haiti. It shared the key findings and recommendations with local stakeholders and partners. To ensure the success and long-lasting impacts of its interventions and initiatives, the project worked with targeted municipal and local governments and selected communities to better understand the socio-political and economic issues that affect the use and management (or lack of management) of tree resources. Over 100 local government officials were trained on the forest resource management, water resources protection and management, and animal husbandry laws and regulations of the Haitian Rural Code to guide them to exercise their mandates in natural resources and landscape management. The project established its first nursery for the production of 55,000 tree seedlings at CASB in Terrier Rouge. This will be the first step towards putting trees in the ground. The project also assessed the beekeeping/honey, coffee, cocoa, and livestock value chains in FY18. The project's relationships with relevant government institutions, such as the Ministry of Environment (MOE) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MARNDR), and their respective departmental directorates in the Nord and the Nord-Est Departments, are excellent. The project has also initiated discussions with private enterprises that could contribute to the transformation and commercialization of promoted agro-forestry products.