Engineering Sustainable Aquaculture in Rural Haiti: A Case Study

Abstract

Large commercial and small scale aquaculture programs have been attempted in Haiti with mixed results. This paper examines a case study where a grassroots Haitian organization worked with American engineers and university students to design and construct simple infrastructure to augment their hatchery. This small investment has also encouraged other Haitians to open up aquaculture programs, independent of international intervention, that utilize this new infrastructure. The practices and partnership exhibited in this case study can be replicated with similar outcomes for local enterprises and businesses. Aquaculture still has many obstacles but many infrastructure challenges can be overcome through such synergies.