Water in Haiti is scarce and unreliable. Water for gardening is even more scarce; therefore, we have to be very intentional about how we irrigate our struggling plants. Many watering techniques in areas with more reliable water sources, like the US, use a lot of water to irrigate, but it is very inefficient because they often use aerial irrigation, where large systems pump a lot of water through sprayers, sending water through the air, hoping it’ll reach the roots of their crops. This may work out in areas with large water resources, but it doesn’t work well in places like Haiti. Besides needing a lot of expensive equipment like deep wells and large pumps, the sprayed water evaporates too much in the air and from the surface of the soil. It also hardens the soil, compacting the top layer when it falls.

A plant only needs a certain amount of water to live and thrive, but it is a big challenge to get that required amount of water deep into the root zone where it is needed.

In Haiti, we teach more appropriate irrigation methods to water the plants’ roots. We use drip irrigation systems to get the water directly where it is needed, through slow absorption deep into the soil. We also use heavy, thick organic mulch layers to protect the soil from sun and wind, which harden and dry out the soil too quickly. The drip irrigation systems provide a constant, slow drip of moisture near each plant, allowing time to soak deep into the soil. We can even add nutrients and liquid fertilizers to the water to boost the plants’ growth.

We use and demonstrate the simple bucket drip irrigation kit from Chapin Living Waters because it is simple and reliable. The system uses a 5-gallon bucket, elevated about 3 feet above ground, and a system of drip tubing to deliver water from the bucket to the soil near each plant in our plant beds. These pictures show the system being laid down after a recent final harvest, and the bed has been worked up and prepared for new seeds or transplants. Drip irrigation systems are critically necessary in many parts of the world, like Haiti, Africa, and the Middle East. Many gardeners in the US benefit from using them, too.

We thank Chapin Living Waters for their long-term partnership with us that ensures that we can teach, demonstrate and supply their simple, effective systems to help Haitian families garden more sustainably with scarce resources. Your faithful support of our “sustainability” outreaches helps Haitian families have better lives today and into the future. God blesses you when you bless others by your support.

Rad Hazelip, Assistant Executive Director