Conserving Soil Quality with Banana Producers in the Dominican Republic

In the Dominican Republic, changes in rainfall patterns result in soil erosion and lost harvests, affecting rural agricultural families. To help ameliorate this problem, a F2F volunteer was requested to train smallholder banana producers in the northwest of the country in two major areas: the restoration of depleted soils through the addition of organic matter, and the strengthening of farming plots against extreme weather events that can cause erosion of fertile soils.

The host for this assignment was Bananos Ecológicos de la Línea Noroeste (BANELINO), an association that seeks to improve the living conditions of small producers, workers, their families, and the community by providing technical assistance to its associates. Currently, BANELINO is comprised of more than 330 producers. It is an established and well-managed organization, with strong leadership, knowledgeable and dedicated field technicians, and supportive and involved members.

Dr. Hwei Yiing Johnson was chosen to fulfill this assignment. She holds a B.S. in Agronomy, an M.S. in Crop Physiology, and a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology. She has been a F2F volunteer in the past in Liberia, Ghana, and Guyana and is currently an Environmental Specialist with the Missouri State Government’s Department of Health and Senior Services.

In October 2019 she traveled to the Dominican Republic for two weeks to complete this assignment in three phases. The initial phase involved visiting BANELINO member farms to collect survey data on farm size, yield, mulching practices, cover crops, soil amendment applications, general farm operations and diversification activities such as animal raising, apiculture, and aquaculture. A total of sixteen farm visits were made covering four regions in the northwest part of the country. During the second phase, the volunteer assessed the soil quality and health of the farms by analyzing samples of irrigation water, soil and compost that she had collected during her visits.

Finally, in the last part of her assignment, she disseminated the information she had collected and trained BANELINO producers on the basics of composting. She made two presentations to Banelino producer members at the two branch offices in Moa and Mountcristi. She also presented in front of students of the BANELINO farm school, where the children of the producers study. All presentations were designed with hands-on activities to train on water and soil quality tests, worm biology, and composting. For students, one additional hands-on activity was arranged for them to practice microscopic techniques and observe microbes in the samples collected from the fields.

At the end of the assignment, Dr. Johnson made recommendations based on her findings. For example, she recommended that the banana farmers measure the shading or lighting under their canopy farms and that they bring in good quality soil and compost, especially vermicompost with rich beneficial microbes and nutrients, to amend the soil in the areas where the plants were yellowing. Thanks to Dr. Johnson’s work, BANELINO producers are now better prepared to use techniques that conserve soil quality and will result in improved yields.