Too Many Farmers: Strain On Resources
Haitian Farmers farming on land unsuitable for agriculture
Haiti's rural population densities are high, which places a strain on the environment and on the well-being of the people. Haiti's rural population lives mainly in rural bourgs, also known as market towns, which typically include a Roman Catholic church, police barracks, a magisterial court, and a general store, all surrounding a central square. The population is still increasing in the countryside, despite growing migration to the cities. Haiti's soils and fishing zones are threatened, and although only one-fifth of the land is considered suitable for agriculture, more than two-fifths is under cultivation. (Encyclopaedia Brittanica, 2010) This is because desperate Haitians are making a scramble for any possible method to pull them out of the extreme poverty that is ravaging through Haiti, partially because it is still struggling to recover from the earthquake. And the fact that the Haitians are cultivating unsuitable land just shows what a desperate state Haiti is in.
Too Many Births/Young Population
Haitian Mothers and their babies
Because of the many disasters that hit Haiti (French-Haitian Conflict, 2010 Earthquake, etc.) the economy in Haiti is terrible, many people live in poverty, there are little or no technological advances and very few can be educated. And because few can be educated, there continues to be no technological advances made, and the economy continues to be terrible because there aren't any skilled people who can inject money into Haiti's economy. As a result, the Birth Rate is sky-rocketing because families are having more children to ensure security; the children will be expected to take care of their parents once they reach an old age. (Population in mid-2025: 12.2 million; Population in mid-2050: 15.7 million: 1.6% increase of population by 2050) (Population Reference Bureau, 2010)
In fact, a large portion of Haiti's population is of a young age, which indicates a high birth rate over the past few years, and therefore more poverty to have caused such a spike in the birth rate. This spike in births is not good for Haiti's economy or health, because extra uneducated mouths to feed place more of a strain on farmers and Haiti's land, and pave the way for more spreading of HIV/AIDS and other diseases.
In fact, a large portion of Haiti's population is of a young age, which indicates a high birth rate over the past few years, and therefore more poverty to have caused such a spike in the birth rate. This spike in births is not good for Haiti's economy or health, because extra uneducated mouths to feed place more of a strain on farmers and Haiti's land, and pave the way for more spreading of HIV/AIDS and other diseases.
Many Deaths
A House damaged by the Haitian 2010 Earthquake
As previously mentioned, Haiti's economy is in a disastrous state. Because of this, there are many civil conflicts, fights, thefts and disputes as well as cases of drug trafficking and illegal migration by desperate citizens to earn a little money or a better life. During these horrible conflicts, deaths occcur. Natural disasters, which are known to hit Haiti, also injure, kill and affect many people living in Haiti. And to top that off, there is also terrible hygiene, and many oppurtunities for the diseases in Haiti such as AIDS, Cholera, and Influenza to spread. An example is the excess mortality that occurs due to AIDS: it can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010).
All of these aspects results in a lower life expectancy and higher death rate, although the death rate is still not enough to fight down the extravagant birth rate. If the population increase keeps on going unheeded, Haiti's population would sharply increase, as seen in the population pyramids of Haiti below (click on picture to view full-size image), but the life expectancy would keep dropping, as would the literacy rate, and Haiti's high poverty rate and poor economy would remain as it is because of this continuous loop.
All of these aspects results in a lower life expectancy and higher death rate, although the death rate is still not enough to fight down the extravagant birth rate. If the population increase keeps on going unheeded, Haiti's population would sharply increase, as seen in the population pyramids of Haiti below (click on picture to view full-size image), but the life expectancy would keep dropping, as would the literacy rate, and Haiti's high poverty rate and poor economy would remain as it is because of this continuous loop.