Education is crucial to the maintenance and success of the reforestation project in this harsh environment. HTRIP supports regular, mandatory education sessions in the centers of all participating communities. Catering to an intelligent, but often illiterate population, HTRIP educators must find creative ways of teaching of the importance and cultivation of trees. Classes cover subjects such as building soil, nurturing seedlings, composting and capturing water, to name a few. Often the curriculum responds to what is needed most.
The education component of HTRIP provides the backbone of knowledge these communities need to stand on their own, and ensure ever more fruitful years. The information they learn, they also practice, preserving a strong core of sustainable farming practices that are then poised to remain for generations.
HTRIP's overarching goal is to plant 1 MILLION TREES IN HAITI by 2016. HTRIP is already demonstrating that economically valuable tree species can be grown successfully in eroded areas in the Artibonite Valley watershed. Strategic tree planting will increase topsoil recovery and water infiltration, and reduce frequency and severity of flooding. Education will ensure the continuance of sustainable farming in the valley.
- Additional overall impacts of this project will be:
- Improved agricultural output
- Income and food sources for participants
- Improved environmental services for downstream communities
- Increased habitat for wildlife species.