The United Nations (UN) International Day of Rural Women celebrates and honors the role of rural women on October 15 each year. It recognizes rural women’s importance in enhancing agricultural and rural development worldwide.
“Jesús Menéndez,” Las Tunas.- Luisa Ruz Fuentes loves sunrises, not because of the warm sheets on her bed but because of the fresh air that touches her face when she opens the windows of her home. At that time, and after the first sip of coffee, she begins a long day of effort.
Sometimes she doesn't even know how she has time between so many tasks. But she assumes them with optimism and with the joy of knowing that she is the owner of a paradisiacal environment and certain culinary skills for which she is recognized in the municipality of Jesús Menéndez.
She lives on the El Placer farm, in the San Juan area, and proudly defends her status as a rural woman, despite having a workplace. However, she splits up and fulfills her work responsibilities while taking care of the family, household chores, and many projects.
“My husband and I complement each other in farm management because we are both aware that peasant families can supply themselves with most of the food they need. But you have to put love and dedication to the land; that's what we do."
“We work together, each one in various activities. We do many of them together to keep it diversified. We are about to stock up on all items because we have eggs, meats, vegetables, grains, condiments, fruits, and vegetables."
“We only need rice, and we already have available the seeds to plant a little and see how it grows on our lands. We are also thinking of resuming bee breeding to obtain honey since we had several hives and, unfortunately, we lost them.”
Luisa is a woman of initiative; she has demonstrated it in the innovation fairs that are held in the northern municipality. Thus, she has surprised people close to her and strangers with several dishes based on cassava or sweet potato.
“I really like cooking and inventing things to please the family. With these foods, I make custards, fritters, donuts, cakes, pies, flans, cookies, puff pastries, and other meals. I also prepare croquettes and hamburgers, combined with fish or chicken. I keep them in the refrigerator and then it is just fry them with the sesame oil that we produce on the farm."
“I always say that planting, raising, and innovating in food is what gives us sovereignty. I don't envy the women of the city at all. I am an engineer, have my work center, and dedicate myself to things on the farm, especially to the introduction of varieties that fruit good yields.”
When Luisa concludes her working life, she will not sit idly by. She has thought a lot and she intends to dedicate herself to the production and marketing of specialty meats. Her husband Eduardo Abreu Peña, who manages a genetic preserve for dark-coated pigs, will play a fundamental role in this project.
