ABSTRACT

The Spaniards specialized in exporting wood from the eastern side of the island, whereas the French on the western third found it more profitable to clear the wood and produce sugar cane, coffee, and indigo for European markets. During the nineteenth century, long after Haiti had become an independent republic, foreign lumber companies cut and exported most of the nation’s precious hardwoods, leaving little for peasants. Expatriate tree lovers, whether tourists or developmental planners, often leave Haiti with an upset stomach. The proverbial snowball in Hades is at less risk than a tree in Haiti. Guided by prior ethnographic knowledge of Haitian cropping patterns, Agroforestry Outreach Project worked out with peasants various border planting and intercropping strategies to make tree planting feasible even for small holding cultivators. Haitian peasants are inveterate and aggressive cash-croppers; many of the crops and livestock that they produce are destined for immediate consignment to local markets.