HRI Archived News

The blacktop and gravel road from Port Salut to Tiburon is the infrastructural lifeline of over 120,000 residents who live in the southwestern area of the South Department. Along this coastal road, one section, connecting Port Salut and Port-à-Piment, was upgraded with a major investment in tarmac, drainage infrastructure and bridges by the Taiwanese government in 2007-2009. Sadly, this critical infrastructure has been badly damaged by the October 7-10 floods and urgent repairs are needed to both maintain road access and avoid the total destruction of the bridge at Coteaux.

Multiple vulnerabilities Along the coastal road, the bridge traversing the river at Coteaux was severely damaged by rushing floodwaters and debris. It is structurally compromised, and has been closed for public use until it can be safely and fully repaired. The environmental instability of the Côte Sud region has disastrous effects on vulnerable infrastructure, thereby adding further pressures on residents already experiencing extreme economic uncertainty.

Within a week of the floods, temporary works by CNE (Compagnie National d’Equipement) cleared away gravel deposits and unclogged some drainage points. A joint team comprised of members of the Haitian government and the United Nations carried out an engineering inspection of the route and found 17 locations that require significant repairs and civil engineering works. The most serious damage has occurred to the bridge at Coteaux, where rushing water undercut the foundations of the bridge and tore a hole through the surface of the road. This bridge is now barred to road traffic; vehicles wishing to pass are forced to drive through the river. This means, in effect, that all of the population west of the bridge will be cut off during rainy periods, when the river rises to a level where traversing in a vehicle is impossible.

The Haiti Ministry of Public Works and Communications and the UN Office for Project Services have developed a post–disaster recovery project proposal for US$1,150,000 to undertake the critical infrastructure repairs. Fundraising is ongoing. This project is vital to the well being of the southwestern peninsula: without reliable road use and market access, the economy of the region will degrade rapidly.

View the full report and funding proposal here or visit the CSI Publications page. 

 The Côte Sud Initiative has released its Q3 quarterly progress report for 2011. Highlights from the progress report include:

• Agriculture and Forestry updates, including a five-day nursery and grafting training session in September 2011 in Camp Perrin with CSI partner organization ORE. 
• Energy updates, including planned solar panel grids, expansion of a grid from the Les Cayes network, and expanded cookstove rent-to-own program at the Enerji Pwop (Clean Energy) store in Les Anglais with CSI partner organization EarthSpark International.
• CSI program updates, including the establishment of the CSI House in Port Salut, which will serve as a focal point for CSI activities in the South Department. CSI also developed its new logo of the initiative, symbolic of the ridge-to-reef approach that embodies the holistic approach to development adopted by CSI and its partners. Many thanks to Foote, Cone & Belding for their efforts in creating the new CSI logo.

To download and read the full quarterly report, visit the CSI Publications page.

As the Haiti Regeneration Initiative continues to gain momentum, we are proud to present our new website. This website is designed to be a tool for information sharing and a resource for anyone interested in learning more about Haiti and the work underway by the HRI and its partners. There is a wealth of information on the mandate and rationale behind the HRI and a critical view of the root causes of Haiti's current situation and the clearest pathways to positive development. The HRI is comprised of four distinct components: Sustainable Development Solutions, the Port-à-Piment Millennium Village, the Côte Sud Initiative, and Haiti 2040. Each initiative and project has its own portal within this website, where one can learn more about the scope, structure, and work being done around the country. 

Library : One of the distinguishing features of this site is its online research Library. The HRI has been informed by reports, projects, and research, and we have included the most useful material in our library. In the library are examples of best practices and lessons learned from Haiti and around the world as well as a section where publications by HRI and its partners are available for download. 

News from the field : On this website will be articles posting News from the Field, updates on the work of the HRI projects and our partners. This website will be a portal for understanding projects already underway and those proposed, not only in the Port-à-Piment watershed and the South Department, but throughout Haiti. 

Databanks : Incoming data that is open for viewing and download, such as the ongoing real-time data coming from our weather stations throughout the Port-à-Piment watershed, are available through the site and also in dedicated databanks, some of which are password protected. Contact us to gain access to this material.

The Earth Institute at Columbia University is looking for a postdoctoral fellow to assist with interdisciplinary research of the agriculture, forestry and environment sector in the Port-à-Piment Millennium Village Project and Côte Sud Initiative (CSI). Research for this sector includes developing a detailed spatially explicit baseline assessment of the region using remotes sensing, field inventories, cell-phone based information and communication technologies, agronomic trials and market surveys. The baseline assessment will be used to support planning and implementation of project development interventions. After the first year of the project research will focus on implementation assessment and support for adaptive management. The work will involve:

• Coordinate the agriculture, forestry, and environment sector’s research efforts for the Port-à-Piment Millennium Village Project and the Côte Sud Initiative
• Prepare reports and publications and
• Develop outreach and extension materials

The one-year position (with possible position extension, based on grant renewal and performance) will be based at the Earth Institute, Columbia University in New York, working with the Haiti research team, and supervised by a Senior Research Scientist at the Tropical Agriculture and Rural Environment Program. It is expected that considerable international travel to Haiti will be involved.

Applicants must hold a PhD in ecology, biogeochemistry, agronomy, or related fields and have an extensive knowledge of agriculture, forestry and/or environmental research. Fluency in French is required and research experience in developing countries is strongly preferred. The candidate should be able to communicate effectively in English, have the ability to work well with a broad array of audiences, have the ability to work in international settings, and be available for extensive travel to Haiti. The salary will be commensurate with experience and will be discussed during interview.

Please send your letter of interest, list and contacts of 3 references and your CV to Andrew Miller at amiller@ei.columbia.edu.  The position will be filled as soon as the appropriate candidate is found.