posted 2 years ago
I am curious if there are any other Americans/ English speakers here who are setting up homesteads in Haiti. I know it sounds like an odd place to build a homestead but it does have some "pros" that some people may find attractive. All my points below are only in reference to the Grand Sud ("Sud" means "South" in Creole) i.e. Most of the the violence you see on the news is in the capitol Port-au-Prince in the the center of the country. The Grand Sud refers to the three Departments of Grand Anse, Nippes, and Sud.
Haiti has 10 Departments like the USA has 50 States. Similar to the U.S. Constitution, the Haitian Constitution allows the Departments to operate with certain semi-autonomous capacities/authorities. During my couple of recent trips to the Grand Anse I've met a few Americans with homesteads there. On my last trip, I met a man, formerly of the Amish tradition, who has spent the last several years building his homestead along the banks of the Voldrogue river.
Some Pros:
(1) it has the cheapest land in the Caribbean (which I admit has many issues in terms of legal titles...but you can still purchase/lease to own land from the government for about $5,000-$6,000/karo (3.18acres)). The geography and climate make Haiti one of the types of places "permies" seek out for homesteads. FYI, The elevation in Grand Sud ranges from sea level to 6,800ft (Pic Macaya).
(2) Legally, from what I understand, there are no property taxes levied on vacant land--only "built structures." And in the poor but peaceful rural "Grand Sud" (the far southwest part of Haiti), property tax enforcement is weak).
(3) There are no enforced building codes or zoning laws. If you want to build a structure right up to your property line, no government official is going to stop you.
(4) The waters are free from chemical pollutants, pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers because there is no heavy industry and no one can afford those agricultural products.
(5) Abundant fresh water and hydro-power potential with none of the permitting red-tape. There is of course local political dynamics but it would not be with the central or state government--just working it out with your adjacent land owners.
(6) Extremely cheap labor. The idea of hiring 20 young men for a farm project for two days will only cost you about $200 (20 men * $5/day * 2)
(7) American humans cannot legally own land in Haiti but American non-human entities can own land in Haiti. So if you set up an LLC or Corporation, that entity can legally own land in Haiti.
Some Cons:
(1) Emergency medical treatment. If you can pay the modest fees (e.g. $15-$20 to see a medical doctor, $10 for a saline drip, $80 dollars for an x-ray and an arm cast), basic medical treatment is available. But there are no rapid response teams/ "911" for severe trauma, heart attacks, etcetera in the Grand Anse.
(2) It's a two day process to get to/from USA and the Grand Anse. There are daily flights from USA to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien but to get to the Grand Anse, you then need to take a flight with Sunrise Air from one of those two cities to Jeremie (the capital of Grand Anse).
(3) general unreliability of staple goods like gasoline. When good gasoline/diesel is available at the pumps, stock up. Outside of Jeremie, there are no supermarkets--which means, unless you butcher your own animals, fresh meat is only readily available one day a week--"market day."
(4) there is no 24/7 electricity in ~98% of the Grand Anse by land area. You must operate your own off-grid power system.
It would be interesting to see a wave of Americans moving to the Haitian frontier that is the Grand Anse. Having met a couple Americans living there on homesteads, I was curious if there are anymore who may be present here? Or perhaps anyone interested in checking it out?
Below is a photo of me in the Ravine-a-Charles across the Grand Anse river from Marfranc--which is one of the top locations I've scouted for the lowest cost per kW hydro-electric plant site. No dam needed at this site to yield ~200kW continuous output!
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