For years, José Rafael González Fernández has been working the land that once belonged to his father, his grandfather, and other ancestors, doing so with the wisdom and experience gained from the challenges of each day.
Chaparra (Jesús Menéndez), Las Tunas.- During his childhood, he assisted his family with various tasks, ranging from weeding to harvesting crops. But he mostly watched, observing and memorizing the procedures that would yield the best results for the crops.
Rafaelín, as he is called, succeeded. Visiting his fields in the community of Pozo Blanco, in the municipality of Jesús Menéndez, is the best proof. There, the image of so much greenery on well-tended soil, free of weeds and covered with extensive banana plantations, which in a few months will provide food for the town, is beautiful.
"I have almost two caballerías (a unit of land measurement) and I devote them entirely to planting root vegetables and fruits, as well as some grains and vegetables. The land is always occupied, with one crop or another, because here you can't waste time, and when you harvest, you immediately prepare the area to plant again.
"Now it's a little easier. However, until recently, we had a lot of work to do because the farm had always been dry. We only had the water that fell from the sky when it rained. Thanks to the Cooperative Rural Development Project in the Eastern Region, Prodecor, we have almost everything under irrigation.
"That technology works with electricity, and right now, given the situation we know the country is in, there is almost no rest. We have to be on the lookout for when the power comes on at all hours. Sometimes it's at one or two in the morning, and we have to start up the systems and start irrigating."
This member of the Noel Turruelles Credit and Services Cooperative is a perennial innovator on his land, where he manages quality seeds and tests the occasional biological product to nourish crops and fight pests and diseases.
“We are constantly looking for solutions, and recently we have been given priority for some material resources. Our intentions to continue planting root crops and other items and to keep going, despite anything, are clear here.”
Rafaelín is one of the best producers in Las Tunas, and his commitment and dedication are also a tribute to those who preceded him on these fertile soils. Many years later, history repeats itself. His son is following in his footsteps. "He is now 21 years old and is totally dedicated to the farm. He is the next generation.”
