Soil conservation actions under way in central Cuba

CIENFUEGOS, Cuba, Jun 30 (ACN) The use of organic matter, planting crops in rows and sowing in the opposite direction to steep slopes are some of the actions developed in the province of Cienfuegos as part of the National Program for Soil Conservation and Improvement (PNCMS).

Eneida Rubio Rodríguez, head of the Soil and Fertilizer Department of the Agricultural Delegation in the region, told ACN that they are using damage-reducing biofertilizers such as CBFERT, which provides nutrients that can be assimilated by direct absorption, stimulates plant growth, and increases plant resistance to adverse conditions.

“We are also applying organo-minerals—because of their soil-improving properties—made by a local enterprise in a mixture of organic matter and a carrier such as waste or sweepings from some factories. These measures are part of the PNCMS actions undertaken in combination with Task Life, known as the State Plan to tackle climate change and mitigate its negative effects on our soils,” she explained. “There is a soil improvement and conservation polygon in each municipality to mitigate erosion and desertification.”

Implemented since 2000, the PNCMS is intended to halt soil degradation, namely erosion, salinity and low fertility, among others. Degradation, a process leading up to the loss of productive capacity, is caused by either natural factors—climate, geological formations, relief—or human activity.