Why do soil erosion and drought make farming difficult in Haiti?

Farming in Haiti faces significant challenges due to environmental degradation and climatic instability.

Soil erosion is a primary obstacle, largely driven by widespread deforestation. Because mountain slopes are rarely terraced, the soil is easily washed away, and as much as one-third of the country's land may have eroded beyond recovery. Furthermore, while alluvial soils in valleys are fertile, they suffer from overcultivation due to high population density.12

Agricultural productivity is also severely hampered by recurrent drought and a lack of irrigation infrastructure. Haiti’s location on the leeward side of the island limits the impact of humid trade winds, leaving some regions with very low annual rainfall. These climatic conditions, combined with unpredictable annual variations in precipitation, frequently lead to widespread crop failures and famine.23

Ultimately, these factors are compounded by the fact that more than two-fifths of the land is under cultivation, despite only one-fifth being considered truly suitable for agriculture.2