A comparison of soil characteristics among farms in three coffee-growing regions in Haiti's Central Plateau

     Zamni Kafe is a project based in Haiti’s Central Plateau that works with subsistence farmers to implement agroforestry practices through a payment for ecosystem services (PES) structure. These farms suffer from... [ view full abstract ]

     Zamni Kafe is a project based in Haiti’s Central Plateau that works with subsistence farmers to implement agroforestry practices through a payment for ecosystem services (PES) structure. These farms suffer from compounding factors such as severe deforestation, lack of arable land, and soil erosion on steep slopes. Over the last three years, we have conducted comprehensive on-farm research in three regions of the Central Plateau aimed at better understanding the current ecological conditions and their influence on newly established tree-based agricultural systems, such as shade coffee. In collaboration with over 30 farming households, we collected soil and plant litter samples for chemical analysis in three regions of differing levels of coffee production, as well measurements of % slope, soil depth and elevation. In two of the regions, calcium-carbonate soils derived from coralline limestone parent rock demonstrate a mean pH in the neutral to alkaline range, which may not be optimal for production of Coffea arabica.

     In Baptiste, historically the most productive of the three coffee-growing regions, mineral soils were more acidic with significantly higher percent organic matter and a greater leaf litter mass (Mg/ha). In the zone of Bois Jolie, where the greatest amount of forest clearing has occurred, contour alley cropping and vetiver grass terracing are soil conservation practices that may help increase fertility and crop productivity in this region.  We intend to use these results to recommend crops best suited to the ecological conditions of each region to help farmers adopt and manage more sustainable agricultural systems.