List of the contributors

Special thanks to:

The Haitian Counsel: Honorable Lesly Condé
Dr. Ludner Confident
Mr. Carl Boirard
Dr. Joël Augustin
Mr. Maurice Bullett
Mr. Daniel Ducasse
Mrs. Ghislaine F. Appolon
Alderman Lionel Jean Baptiste
Mr. Manley Lamarre
Dr. Ludovic & Mrs. Dr. Maude Comeau
Mr. Carlos & Mrs. Lisa Perez
Dr. Serge Pierre-Louis
Dr. Jean Wilson & Mrs. Marie Muscadin
Yehia & Company
Old Town School of Music
Mr. Sergio & Mrs. Lucia Ortiz

All staff and volunteers who have contributed to make this event possible.

The transition from deforestation to reforestation can be smoothly accomplished with the adoption of bamboo.

The fact is, besides bamboo, there are also other plants that can be exported from the US to Haiti to play an important part in the reforestation process. I was exposed to some of them last year in April, when I visited ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization), a nursery located at Fort Myers, Florida. Haiti Environmental Rescue Organization (HERO) will be working in collaboration with ECHO where the staff members are trained to provide to the world at large solutions in the form of practical information to enhance food production in developing countries like Haiti.

For the purpose of spreading them throughout the country, the following are specimen that will also be included among others to ornate our nursery in Haiti.
 

Neem
Native to India and Burma, the neem tree is a fantastic multi-purpose tree. This fast growing tree is drought resistant and provides wood and shade. A natural insecticide can easily be made from the leaves and seeds. The twigs, which contain azadirachtin ( a bactericide), can be chewed and used as tooth brushes. The seeds contain 45% oil, which can be used for soaps, skin lotions, and oil for home heating and lighting.

Rice
Rice is a common crop in the low lands. ECHO has two plots of rice, the traditional way planted in a flooded area and a new method called the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). Seedlings are transplanted at a younger age. Plants are more widely spaced. The soil is damp but not flooded. This method often results in higher yields.

Tropical Mushrooms
According to the experts at ECHO, edible mushrooms convert agricultural waste into valuable food without damaging the environment. In some parts of the world, growing edible mushrooms has become a significant economic activity and has resulted in an inexpensive source of protein that supplements grain-based diets. In developing countries, growing mushrooms can create employment while using little land. Mushrooms, with their pleasing taste, high protein and medicinal values, are a relatively untapped food source for the future.

Erosion Control
From the observation of the experts at ECHO, erosion is a big problem in the highlands. One erosion control method is SALT (Sloping Agricultural Land Technology). The mountain is cut into terraces, and then the soil is held in place by plants with deep root systems, such as vetiver, napier grass, and leucaena trees. In addition, they provide mulch, forage food for animals and green manure to replenish the soil with nitrogen. Rocks and logs can also be used when available. Legumes and vegetables can be grown on the terraces.

Avocados
Avocados contain important fats and oils, two nutritional components hungry people in developing countries often lack in their diet. At ECHO, different varieties of avocado bear fruit at different months of the year. This is an advantage for the farmers who are selling avocado. They will never run out of supply to meet the need of their customers. In addition, they will be able to eat avocados for a greater part of the year.

Coffee
A favorite drink of Americans and other people in most countries around the world, coffee is grown in highland areas. The coffee beans are actually the sees of berries ripened on the tree. Most coffee is harvested by hand, then laid on a flat surface to dry. The beans are raked regularly to prevent fermentation. They are then hulled to remove the husks, leaving just the bean. The green coffee ( a name for unroasted beans) is shipped to the importing country where it is roasted and taste-tested. Because roasted beans must reach the consumers quickly to retain the full coffee flavor, roasting is performed in the importing country.

Moringa
Moringa is a fast-growing tree that provides food for people and animals. It has edible leaves, flowers, pods, and green seeds. The leaves contain vitamins and minerals. Gram for gram, moringa leaves contain 7x the vitamin C in oranges, 4x the calcium in milk, 4x the vitamin A in carrots, 2x the protein in milk, and 3x the potassium in bananas. The young tree roots can be ground up to make a horseradish substitute. The powdered seeds are used to purify dirty water. This tree is helpful in fighting malnutrition. In Senega, West Africa, a missionary began giving moringa powder to the mothers who could not produce milk and to their starving children. Within ten days, there was a marked improvement in the children, and in twenty days the mothers were able to nurse theirs babies.

Egusi Melon
Egusi melon looks like a small watermelon. The seeds are edible but the flesh is not. The de-hulled seeds contain approximately 50% oil and 30% protein. The seeds are de-hulled and then make into a paste, which is mixed with a variety of condiments to make stews. After partial removal of the oil, seeds may be ground into meal used to make patties that serve as a meat substitute or sold as a dry powder that is a base for soup. The dry de-hulled seeds can be grounded and mixed with water, honey, and salt to make an instant raw milk.

A Living Fence
Aloe vera and prickly pear cacti, when planted close together, these plants form a natural border, or a living fence, which deter rodents, found in semi-arid regions of the world, from entering gardens. As an added benefit, both plants are edible. Aloe is used worldwide for its healing properties.

Miracle Fruit
Miracle fruit is tropical African plant whose small red fruit has a very unusual property. The fruit contains a glyco-protein, which, when eaten, causes bitter or sour foods to taste sweet. This effect lasts from 30 to 60 minutes. Miracle fruit itself is not sweet.

Herb-Spice Garden
The ECHO Herb-Spice Garden is an attractive teaching garden. People in developing countries rely on herbs and spices for more than fragrances and flavor. These plants are used as cash crop, medicines, craft, bartering materials and more.
Growing herbs in tropical and sub-tropical regions is different than in temperate climates. Mounds gardens are built from horticultural waste. Plants and trees grow on the top and on the sides of the mound, using less space and water. Mixed plantings discourage insect invasion. Mound gardens are easy to care for and to harvest.
Annatto is an attractive shrub with pods containing seeds, which are used to color butter, margarine, cheese, cosmetics and may other products.
Within the area of farming, besides plants, other techniques will also be acquired from ECHO and diligently pursued by the HERO nursery personnel in Haiti, to be shared with the people.

Ducks
Ducks at ECHO live in a symbiotic relationship with Tilapia fish. The ducks’ droppings help algae grow in the pond, which provides food for the fish. Ducks are also useful in the tropics because they have fewer disease problems than chicken. Ducks eggs taste similar to chicken eggs, and ducks are a meal-size package of protein.

Tilapia
Tilapia are spiny-finned fish that thrive in warm tropical ponds, and are well-suited for the peasant farmer. They live in water with low oxygen levels and eat a variety of algae, small plants and insect larvae. Tilapia begin reproducing when they are only 2 inches long, thus inciting the farmer to continually harvest the larger fish so the small ones can have enough room to grow. Tilapia are thought to be native to northern Africa and the Middle East, and were probably caught by Jesus’ disciples.

Rabbits
Rabbits have a number of advantages that make raising them appealing. They eat many types of greens that are not eaten by people and covert this forage into meat, consumable to. Their manure can be directly applied to the plants or their roots, unlike the manure of other animals. Raising rabbits takes less of an initial investment compared to other animals. A rabbit farm takes up little space, and provides a family-sized meal.

Green Manure
Green manure crops ( also called ground covers) are crops that are grown to increase soil fertility. Grown in many areas of the world, green manure is useful because it add large quantities of nitrogen to the soil, increase top soil depth, help shade the soil, protect from wind and water erosion, and is a source of food for animals as well as a source of income. In ECHO’S highland area, perennial peanuts has been planted as a green manure to stabilize the slope and improve soil fertility.