Three farms in Cuban special municipality boost sustainable production

 NUEVA GERONA, Cuba, Jan 24 (ACN) In the Isle of Youth, three farms have started a promising path of ecological transition, where science and innovation converge to multiply productions, protect natural resources, in line with local sustainable development plans.

"Agua Santa", "La Reina" and "25 de Noviembre" implement crop diversification, soil protection through the use of organic fertilizers and pesticides, however, in terms of agroecology, there is still a long way to go, according to the MSc Roelis Castillo Mestre, professor of Agronomy at the University " Jesus Montane Oropesa", at the head of the Center for Studies of Local Development and Innovation.

It is important to train a greater number of producers to apply the new knowledge in their plots until they achieve all the requirements to certify them as Agroecological Farms, he said.

In this sense, it is essential that these farms are sustainable and have an agroecosystem design, a fundamental premise. In addition, it is crucial that the farmer be the main experimenter, accompanied by science from the university and the scientific centers of the territory," said the agronomist.
One of the great challenges of agroecology is to achieve results similar or superior to those of conventional agriculture. In this endeavor, steps have already been taken in the municipality with the planting of potatoes, sweet potatoes and other crops using completely ecological methods and with encouraging results, he added.

Only if we achieve diverse and stable ecological production can we move towards satisfying local demand without impoverishing the soil or indiscriminately using other natural resources; we will achieve the productive, ecological and conservation indicators that we aspire to for a prosperous and environmentally friendly agriculture, Castillo Mestre stressed.

He emphasized that to achieve this, the application of science and the sustained work of the producers are indispensable, as well as a profound feedback of the farmers' knowledge and the systematization of the good practices learned by those who have in the land their best instruction book.