Using results of bivariate regression analysis, based on a sample of 450 traditional hillslope farms, this research investigates causal linkages among interrelated physical and social processes in a case study conducted within the Plan Sierra resource management region of the Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic.
In Haiti, even though many respondents did not perceive environmental but rather economic problems as a major root cause for migration, the environmental threat of a weakened agricultural industry does invoke movement given that agriculture remains to be the main source of income for the majority of the Haitian population. In the Dominican Republic, The main reasons mentioned were the withdrawal of the state from the countryside, the lack of subsidies for the agricultural production and lack of social infrastructure, above all in the schooling system.
In Haiti, the high grade of deforestation, soil erosion and land degradation strongly influences the migration decisions as the economic basis and consequently the livelihood of a big share of the population is threatened or even completely destroyed. In the Dominican Republic, the main reasons for migration were the withdrawal of the state from the countryside, the lack of subsidies for the agricultural production and lack of social infrastructure, above all in the schooling system.
Summary of project on website : 'to investigate the reasons behind skewed sex ratios and patterns of female out-migration in the Hispaniolan Pine ecoregion of the Cordillera Central. The project considered the implications of these patterns for land and resource conservation and the economic status of women in the region. The project was carried out in two rural secciones (counties) in the Hispaniolan Pine Forest, where residents are herders and growers of coffee, potatoes, garlic, cabbage, onions, carrots, and flowers.
