Mitigating soil erosion in the Dominican Republic

Written by F2F volunteer Elizabeth Miernicki

In March 2018, I traveled to the Dominican Republic
for my first ever USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) assignment. As my plane flew
over the country towards Las Americas airport, my eyes never left the window. I
could not stop thinking about what the soil looked like underneath all of the
lush green foliage before my eyes. I soon found myself in a country three times
smaller than my home state of Illinois, but with greater soil diversity. A true
treat for me!

Terraces in Mao formed by livestock walking along the
contours.

My F2F assignment specifically focused on improving
soil management and water conservation practices to reduce soil erosion,
increase soil fertility and improve water quality, with an emphasis on global
climate change in the Ciabo Central region. The overall objective of the
assignment was to provide vulnerable farming communities with the necessary
strategies and technologies to improve the resiliency of their farming systems.
The impact of global climate change on farming systems in the Dominican
Republic is evident. The frequency of severe droughts, floods and storms have
increased, and as a result, farmers are finding it difficult to manage their
land properly due to unpredictable weather patterns.

I traveled to a total of three farming communities
located in the provinces of Puerto Plata, Santiago Rodríguez
and La Vega. A large variety of crops were grown between all farming
communities. Dominant crops included banana, cacao, plantain and various
vegetables. Despite varying cropping systems and management techniques, common
issues within each community included crop disease, varying stages of soil
erosion and poor soil fertility.

Two-day visits occurred for the three farming
communities. The first day was spent assessing farms to gain a better
understanding of the current management practices being implemented. In
addition to farm visits, soil samples were collected to conduct soil nutrient
tests. If time allowed, a soil nutrient test and pH test were performed with
the participation of the community to provide an understanding of the nutrient
testing process. Test results were presented in a lecture the following day. Water
quality tests measuring nitrate levels were also conducted. The second day of
each visit consisted of a lecture specifically tailored to the farming
communities’ management techniques and soil/water related challenges.

Drip irrigation in a pepper field in La Vega

Recommendations at a quick glance:

•       Soil conservation practices

o  
Terracing

o  
Buffer strips and wind breaks

o  
Cover crops

• Improved nutrient management practices

o  
Basic soil tests

o  
Incorporation of organic fertilizers

• Cultural practices

o  
Crop rotation

o  
Disease management techniques

o  
Appropriate irrigation systems to
improve water use efficiency

o  
Improved crop varieties

• Workshops

o  
Compost and biochar production

o  
Growing transplants

• Demonstration plots

o  
Organic vs. conventional management
practices

o   Comparison
of crop varieties, fertilizer types, transplants vs. direct-seed and cover
crops

o  
Sediment traps

• Co-op formation to increase overall farm profits

I would like to thank Partners of the Americas F2F program for the wonderful opportunity to help farming communities in the DR.