Baille Tourible

KANPE – which means “to stand up” in Haitian Creole – is active in the remote highlands of Haiti’s Central Plateau, in a village called Baille Tourible. The area is known for its mountainous terrain and geographic isolation, and it is home to an underserved and vulnerable community — 98% of whom are subsistence farmers, with limited access to transportation and municipal services or nearby cities.

Until the 1980s, Baille Tourible had a strong vegetation cover, but today, more than half of the territory faces deforestation. Using charcoal for energy needs has put great pressure on the vegetation cover. Lack of support to find alternative sources of energy, insufficient access to resources, and vulnerability to climate change have accelerated deforestation and extreme poverty due to the decline in agricultural production caused by soil erosion and desertification.

Mission

Age of Union is contributing to reforestation and agroforestry initiative as a true collaboration between local leadership and international support. A Haitian project director ensures that on-the-ground needs are met, while the Canadian team secures funding to bring the project to life. This initiative is deeply community-driven, with the people of Baille Tourible of all generation take pride in shaping a sustainable future for the culture and the environment. The dedicated agroforestry team, including an agronomist and rangers, has already surpassed expectations every year so far, exceeding its 25,000-seedling goal. Central to KANPE’s mission is women’s empowerment, recognizing that while women are often the most affected by climate change, they are also key to driving sustainable solutions.

• Agroforestry initiative to produce, distribute and plant over 25,000 fruit and forest seedlings each year for five years
• Reforestation project to tackle soil erosion and desertification
• Sustainable livelihood plan to increase education and agricultural output and promote economic empowerment
• Emphasizes women’s empowerment and community self-sufficiency

Partnership Impact

• 2,037 ha (5,033 acres) of land are being restored, reforested, and used for sustainable agroforestry and agriculture
• 3 model forest successfully implemented benefiting the community and the environment
• 67,000 seedlings of native trees, coffee, and fruit plants produced and 35,000 planted by February 2025
• 80% seedling survival rate with the use of best practice water management techniques 
• 284 land owners receiving visits from field officers to offer guidance for improving cultivation and husbandry practices 
• 350 community members with increased climate change awareness and environmental education
• 252 job created in nursery management, soil conservation, conservation and field visits
• Over 25,000 kg of seed (black bean, maize, pigeon peas, and sorghum) distributed to over 1,900 households
• Coffee cultivation‘s revival as a source of cultural and economic pride