Can Haiti Be Rebuilt to Withstand Disasters

Haiti is a country who fought for and won their freedom becoming the first country ever established by former black slaves. Unfortunately, Haiti is located in a disaster prone part of the Atlantic that sees its share of hurricanes as well as earthquakes. Can Haiti's infrastructure and economy be rebuilt to withstand disasters that are keeping the majority of the citizens of this catastrophe prone nation on their knees?

It was because of Haiti's fight for independence from France that made the Louisiana Purchase possible for America. A land purchase that substantially increased the size of the United States. Had it not been for an impending and costly military loss for France, America might have looked much different today. Napoleon only agreed to sell a good chunk of land that came with Louisiana in a last ditch effort to raise money in 1803 in hopes of defeating the uprising of slaves in Haiti.

Haiti's economy has always been mainly agricultural. The primary reason why France established a colony there in the first place and brought in slaves from Africa to work their plantations. Coffee, corn, sorghum, mangoes, sugarcane, cacao, fruits and vegetables, pulse food and rice grow well on this small island. Pulse foods are essentially plants that produce dried seeds that are edible and are an economical and good source of protein. Natural resources are gold, marble, copper, calcium carbonate and Bauxite. Bauxite is a rock that has minerals in it and it's an important source for aluminum ore. It is used in cement, soda cans, makeup, house siding and other aluminum products. Unfortunately, most of their natural resources don't have a lot of commercial value these days.

Poor and inefficient farming practices have reduced their agricultural growth. Deforestation and soil erosion from inefficient methods in extracting natural resources from the land are also blamed for Haiti's decline in agriculture. As hurricanes blow across the island, further damage results as vulnerable top soil is washed away by rain filled mountain streams gushing down from the mountainside. Cheaper imports of food like wheat and rice along with humanitarian aid have taken its toll on small farming operations as subsistence farming further declines. New farming practices, technology and land development and restoration is needed to give Haiti's agriculture a chance to rebound.

The poorest country in the western hemisphere, Haiti is a bullseye for hurricanes making their way from the coast of Africa through the Atlantic. It's essential to rebuild homes, businesses and government buildings that can withstand nature's fury as it whips across their land. For the people of Haiti to have a chance to stand tall against what seems to be forces bent on their destruction, they need a solid infrastructure, better farming technology, protection against soil erosion and an effort to regrow damaged forests.

This country has been dependent on foreign aid for years and 80% of Haitians who reside in rural areas live in poverty. A healthy economy requires a strong middle class that provides a solid foundation. No country can have a viable economy when it's top heavy. If the bulk of their citizens can't afford to buy what the country does produce, they will remain dependent on foreign aid.

Haiti can be rebuilt to withstand disasters, but it will take time to repopulate forests and replenish damaged land. Since 2000, floods, hurricanes and lack of food has shaken this tiny Caribbean country. For Haiti to have a chance to stand on their own two feet, it's going to take time and lots of money as well as political fortitude to rebuild a crumbling nation's hope.

Adam Daly, Haitian Culture, msnu.edu

Haiti-The Economy, countrystudies.us

Haiti Agriculture, nationsencyclopedia.com