The Problem
The project will focus on the planting of vetivre grass along the only road that leads into the villages set deep with the mountains. Vetivre grass grows very quickly and its roots form a basket underneath the soil. It is great for erosion control. Heavy rains create soil erosion and washes out the road because there is very little vegetation to control the situation. Once the vetivre grows it can be thinned out and replanted. Roaming animals, especially goats, will not eat the this type of grass because they do not like it. Animals are part of the reason there is no vegetation in much of the Haitian mountainside. The people living in the mountains are farmers and lose 1% of their garden topsoil annually. The farmers use the mountainside to plant their crops but heavy rains can wash them away. Part of the project focus will teach the Haitian farmers how to plant the vetivre around their gardens to prevent erosion. As the vetivre grow and sinks roots into the soil it will provide a protection against the soil washing down the mountains. It will create a natural fence with deep roots.
