Vernia's Story

Vernia Saint Peaux lives in the community of Mombin Crochu amongst the steep, stony hills in the north east of Haiti.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. In a place where most people are already struggling to survive on less than a dollar a day, climate change is making life even more difficult.

Haiti was once covered in rich forests which helped to protect the land and its people from natural disasters. But many trees have been cut down and now only around 2% of the original forests remain.

Cyclones, floods and landslides are becoming more frequent and increasingly severe. They bring death and disease; flatten homes and destroy entire harvests leaving thousands homeless and hungry.

Deforestation has left Vernia's farmland unprotected from the wind and rain which washes away the precious top soil needed to grow healthy plants.

She told SCIAF:

“I have a small garden on a steep hillside but in recent years we have been unable to grow crops on some parts of our land because the soil has been washed away by the rain. This was a problem for the whole community. The rains are getting heavier and we realised that we were able to grow less and less.”

Landslides, caused by ever-more-frequent floods and heavy rains, can wash away entire crops along with the fertile soil they are planted in. The loss of a harvest in this way has a devastating impact on poor communities, particularly when the price of basic foods is high.

SCIAF is working with GADRU, a Haitian partner which is helping small-scale farmers adapt to the changing climate and prevent landslides.

By planting new trees on the steep hillsides and using pineapple and sugarcane to create ‘living barriers’ communities can protect their pockets of land from soil erosion. They have been encouraged to grow a greater number and variety of crops in a way which also helps to protect the environment.

Vernia added:

“The project has provided a solution to the problem. We grow rows of ‘living barrier’ crops like pineapple and sugar cane on the hillsides with spaces in between for other crops, like beans and sweet potatoes. The barriers stop the soil from being washed away – and they also provide us with food.”

With SCIAF’s support, Vernia and her family now have enough to eat and enjoy a healthy, varied diet. By selling the surplus, Vernia earns enough to send her children to school and pay for their medical care.