Reviving Haiti: Can Bamboo Restore Haiti’s Landscapes and Drive Economic Growth?

Sep 30

Author: Dr. Yann-Olivier Kersaint, Berlin, Germany
Editors: Dr. Gloria Blaise, Wolf Pamphile, Washington, D.C., USA

Haiti's immediate concern is ensuring the safety and security of its people, but long-term solutions must address deeper economic and social issues. Many young men join gangs not for the appeal of violence, but for a sense of purpose they lack elsewhere, which security measures alone cannot provide. While the country is in desperate need of job creation, it must also plan to evolve beyond offering low-wage jobs in industries like textiles, which are unsustainable not only in an ecological but in an economic way as well, at least for the Haitian workers and the State. Haiti needs to create long-term economic value within the country, not just provide cheap labor and raw materials for others.

This would entail restructuring Haiti’s spatial organization to support rural development, strengthen agriculture, and reduce the demographic pressure on Port-au-Prince, thus enabling the country to stand stable on its own economically and socially.

How can this be achieved? There is no one-fit-for-all solution, but bamboo could be one component of this complex puzzle.

Bamboo: What is it and how can it benefit Haiti’s economy and ecology?

Bamboo is a versatile grass with over 1,600 species, and depending on the species, it can grow at an astonishing rate of one meter per day. Because bamboo can thrive in depleted soil conditions, the plant can stabilize and protect these soils from further erosion and surface runoff with its dense root system. Additionally, the plant’s fallen leaves can quickly build new soil layers, while the roots strengthen and purify the ground, and improve its hydrological function.

Bamboo can be harvested five to seven years after planting, and up to 25% of a bamboo forest can be harvested annually thereafter, as the culms regrow from the rhizomes. When allowed to grow, the plant is resilient to storms and earthquakes, produces substantial oxygen, and stores significant amounts of CO2, creating additional value through integration in the carbon sequestration market. Although the potential for carbon sequestration is significant, it must be approached with caution, as it can only be fully realized by maximizing the plant's use and integrating it into a circular economy.

Haiti’s Challenges

When properly harnessed, bamboo’s numerous beneficial properties could help tackle many of Haiti’s ecological and economic challenges. Decades of monocultural plantation farming have degraded the soil, while widespread deforestation exacerbates erosion, causing inundations and frequent land and mudslides during heavy rains. Additionally, the country faces a shortage of adequate housing and locally-sourced, high-quality construction materials. In this context, bamboo emerges as a promising, sustainable resource that could address these critical issues.

Economic Benefits

Bamboo is a sustainable resource that can be used to produce almost the same products made from wood. Apart from smaller manufactured goods, bamboo stems are also a great construction material. This is evident in Asia where the stems are used for the construction of impressive buildings. Beyond the traditional direct utilization of the stems, modern engineered bamboo innovations add additional value to the raw material. Bamboo fibers can be pressed together using adhesives to form boards, panels, or beams. These products are used as sustainable alternatives to wood, steel, or concrete in construction. However, real sustainability and biodegradability depend heavily on the adhesives used, and ecological adhesives are still considerably more expensive than conventional ones. Nevertheless, engineered bamboo is valued for its strength, flexibility, and eco-friendliness, making it suitable for flooring, furniture, and structural components in buildings.

A Haitian-owned factory could produce building materials from bamboo, creating high-value products from a locally grown resource. Local craftsmen, architects, and artists could undoubtedly find innovative uses for bamboo. Moreover, bamboo could be a valuable export. Currently, Europe imports bamboo worth $817 million, followed by the USA with $720 million (the second largest importer of bamboo at 26.5% of the market). What is critical to know is that Haiti is positioned only about 500 kilometers from the USA and has an opportunity to tap into this market. Given the country’s proximity to the USA and the existence of the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) and Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Acts, Haiti has duty-free access to the bamboo market.

Nearby, Haiti’s CARICOM partner, Jamaica has recognized bamboo’s potential and adopted a national development strategy that includes building a manufacturing facility capable of producing 250,000 metric tons of bamboo pulp annually to produce tissues and other fiber products.

Ecological Benefits

Beyond its economic potential, bamboo’s ecological relevance is critical. Alongside the humanitarian crisis, Haiti faces an ecological disaster. Haiti’s biodiversity is on the brink of collapse, partly due to the cultivation of sugar during colonial times, sisal and rubber during the American occupation, and the activities of agro-industrial companies. Not only have soils partly lost their fertility, but the social structures of Lakous, - a traditional spatial and social living form in the Haitian countryside, where homes are built around a shared yard or garden - have also been destroyed, driving people into the bidonvilles of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. In addition to soil degradation, the remaining forests continue to be cleared in part, for charcoal production and agriculture. Today, charcoal and firewood account for 80% of the energy used by Haitian households.

Bamboo charcoal is a sustainable alternative to traditional charcoal, offering advantages in terms of sustainability, porosity, and specific applications. Its environmentally friendly properties and high adsorption capacity make it an attractive option for consumer and industrial uses. Bamboo charcoal and biochar are already being produced in Ghana and other African and Asian countries. Bamboo charcoal is often more efficient and could help preserve Haitian biodiversity. Because of its ability to regrow quickly, shifting to bamboo-based charcoal can help preserve existing tree species and mangroves that are vital to the endangered Haitian ecosystem.

Bamboo in Haiti: Now and the Future

The idea of planting bamboo in Haiti is not new. Various projects such as former President Préval’s initiative in Marmelade, education projects at Wynne Farm in Kenscoff, and Bambou Facile (a Haitian company that promotes the use of bamboo in Haiti) all have utilized the plant. However, Haiti should seize the opportunity to invest in and launch a large-scale program that promotes bamboo as a major resource and build an industry around that plant. African countries such as Kenya and Uganda have already included bamboo in their national development plans.

If Haiti started cultivating fast-growing bamboo species like Guadua, which is native to South and Central America and already present in the country, it could foster the development of a new industrial sector, providing fresh economic opportunities for farmers and their families. By avoiding monoculture, Haiti could leverage the sustainability and resilience of bamboo plantations. Guadua is particularly well-suited for this endeavor due to its environmental advantages, such as exceptional carbon sequestration and its ability to support higher biodiversity in contrast to species like Moso bamboo. Moreover, Guadua is ideal for construction, owing to its strength and versatility. To maximize bamboo’s ecological and economic benefits, it is essential to cultivate a diverse range of suitable bamboo species, tailored not only for environmental sustainability but also to meet various industrial and agricultural needs.

Therefore, a government-led initiative could include:

Evaluate past bamboo cultivation ventures in Haiti.
Form strategic partnerships with Jamaica and Cuba, the only Caribbean countries participating in the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (IBAR).
Establish test plots in collaboration with Haitian scientists and technical institutions to assess the growth of bamboo species across various ecozones in the country.
Invest in a structured education program that utilizes ‘Bamboo Centers’, serving as nurseries, to provide training for farmers in planting and maintenance, as well as for craftsmen and builders in bamboo material usage and construction techniques.
Build a processing facility to convert raw bamboo into industry-standard modern construction materials.
Establishment of a national agency for integration into the international carbon sequestration markets.

Farmers could operate freely as konbit or gwoupman, deciding whether to use their bamboo themselves, sell it to the factory or other traders, or make charcoal from it. This would grant farmers greater independence. Since bamboo is an excellent shade-providing plant, farmers could continue to grow beans or other important crops beneath it. Additionally, bamboo offers the opportunity to develop agroforestry systems that, in addition to food, promote biodiversity and regenerate soils. Moreover, with its high carbon storage capacity, it allows even small farmers to participate in and earn income from the international carbon market. This multifunctional use of bamboo would not only improve the economic situation of rural families but also contribute to ecological sustainability and strengthen food security.

If managed appropriately, a national bamboo initiative could serve as a cornerstone for economic stability by bridging the gap between civil society and the political sphere. By empowering people to sustainably and independently produce raw materials and valuable products - and thereby earn income – Haiti can begin to shift a portion of the country’s development back into the hands of its people, making it less dependent on foreign political decisions. In contrast to the textile industry or export-oriented agriculture, bamboo production offers significant domestic benefits in addition to the financially interesting export market.

Haiti Policy House is a not-for-profit institution focusing on Haitian public policy issues. Its research is nonpartisan. Haiti Policy House does not take specific policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).

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