Paul Paryski, former UNDP Chief Technical Advisor, and Environmental Governance Consultant writes about ORE (www.oreworld.org): Successes are rare indeed in Haiti, a country on the verge of violent and chaotic collapse. ORE is a rare exception. With its innovative, synergistic approach to environmental restoration, based on improving the plight of Haiti's impoverished peasant farmers, ORE has made a difference, changing the landscape of southern Haiti. After analyzing the economic reasons that force peasant farmers to destroy his environment to simply survive, and understanding the complexities of Haitian peasant culture, ORE has devised a program of agro-ecological techniques to both improve farmers revenues and repair damaged, highly eroded watersheds. The ORE program includes training in grafting high revenue fruit species to existing trees, providing highly productive fruit tree seedlings such as improved and off-season mango and avocado varieties, providing useful bamboo's, distributing high quality seeds, integrated pest management, reforesting critical areas and promoting terrace agricultural systems. ORE's program is so successful that it has difficulties meeting demand. If any NGO working in Haiti deserves support, it is ORE. Paul Paryski former UNDP Chief Technical Advisor
|