A year ago, life changed for Arsenio Pérez Escalona, a young man from the municipality of Puerto Padre, in the province of Las Tunas, who put aside his professional career as a university graduate and applied for usufruct land.

Puerto Padre, Las Tunas.- Since then, he has not stopped working to make a reality the place he dreams of. And that means waking up early in the morning and spending the day in the sun, dirty from sweat and dust, but determined to make the most of the soil, which, fortunately, is fertile.

"I have a total area of 25 hectares, 18 of which are irrigated. Those are divided into four quadrants. One is planted with plantain and one with maize. The other two are currently planted with pumpkin and plantain."

"I took them a year ago because they were in disuse, full of marabú and other weeds. With a lot of effort, we dismantled them and they are now in good condition. Nothing has been harvested here yet. But I'm sure it will give good results."

Among the many difficulties the farmers are currently facing are the lack of nutrients and pesticides and the intense drought that year after year hits the Tunero territory. This young man, who is determined to achieve good yields, is tackling these and other problems.

"The irrigation machine is part of a project in which water came from the river. But, it didn't rain for many months and that possibility was affected. As an alternative, I decided to build two wells and a well to pump up the liquid and guarantee humidity for the crops."

"As for the soil, it is very good. However, it needs to be looked after and improved because it has not been cultivated for a long time. I rely on bio-products and the use of organic matter. I want to make an earthworm farm to produce humus and I already have a team of oxen to tend the plantations."

Arsenio has no academic training related to agronomy. However, he knows a little about farming from family experience, as he is the grandson of farmers. He is also eager to learn and does so hand in hand with a good friend, who is his strong arm in tending to the crops.

"It is difficult. Here, problems are the most common, but I solve them little by little, without fear of failure. In the beginning, my family and friends didn't want me to do it because it took me away from what I studied. They even told me I was crazy because it's a big area. But I'm determined, with a lot of will."