The American NGO for whom we are working hired men to clear the property and cut down all the banana and plantain plants for more visibility in photos. They will be looking for quick progress.

Clearing by hand takes a while, so they decided to go with some traditional burning techniques. A bulldozer was mentioned but hasn't been brought up lately.

I notice Geoff Lawton and Bill Mollison both use heavy machinery for creating swales, etc. However, with my inexperience, I am very concerned that I would not be able to speak intelligently enough to direction the attention of the machinery in a positive direction. Also, I have not figured out yet how to get my hands on bulk seeds for replanting after a major land clearing.

All I see for seeds so far is what I can find in the market - wheat, corn, coffee beans, millet, cocoa beans, pigeon peas, beans, etc. I'm not sure how approprate that is for re-seeding the land. Any good suggestions from anyone who's been to Haiti?

The bananas and plantains are sprouting right back . . . shhhhh. (I had not idea they would do that). Though in part Haiti is very green, growing, and tropical, I notice that plowing, burning, and bare dirt and/or compacted dirt are VERY common here. It is everyday practice for a Haitian to wake up and sweep their yard clear of all "trash," including all leaves and previously living matter which they just call "trash," the same as plastic trash.

Composting has been difficult for me to get across, although it is not completely foreign here. Often the Haitians I have worked with just don't see the point. It is easier to sweep all plastic trash, vegetable matter, leaves, etc. together and burn it once the pile gets too large or stinky. I won't give up though. :-)

How do you respect local farming tradition while gently implying that there is a better way? Can it only be shown first on your own property? How do you seek out individuals who are open to the "new ideas" of permaculture methods?

I'm not out to preach permaculture to everyone whose path I cross. However, I sincerely want to place permaculture methods in place for the employees of the NGO property. This is something I am still trying to work through in my mind - how I can respectfully insist on a certain way of doing things on the property and allowing the employees to see the benefits of doing things in the "new" permaculture way with their own eyes. Does anyone have any tips for speeding that progress, or do I just need to be ready for a slow and patient back-and-forth (give and take) of sorts?