Mitigating soil erosion in the Dominican Republic

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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. 

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