On the farms of Alexis Peña Pavón, in the community of Río Potrero, and Humberto Ferrer Tristá, in El Parnaso, there is hardly any time to rest, because from before sunrise they start to organize their daily work.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- The first thing is to take care of the animals and then, with only a short break for breakfast, they go to the fields, to hoe, weed, water, and many other tasks that their agriculture demands, the one that provides them with the most necessary to live decently, together with their families.
They are two examples of the impact of the international Biomás Cuba project in the outskirts of this city, although they are not the only ones, as three other food producers benefit from technical assistance, training, and material resources in the northern municipality of Manatí.
Jorge Luis Rivero Moreno, the coordinator in the province of Las Tunas of this project financed by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, explained that two fundamental axes are being worked on. One is the use of biogas, from the residues of pig or cattle breeding, and the other corresponds to the use of renewable energy sources.
"In the first stage, there are five farms inserted in Biomás Cuba, and in the second stage, we are working with 18 producers from Manatí, who have their biodigesters. So far the result is quite clear because we treat the waste and take advantage of that energy while closing cycles.
"In other words, only sugar and salt come from outside, because within the intervention scenario we produce the other food required by the family; even the animal feed is with total sovereignty. There is no need for anything beyond the borders of the farm".
Besides windmills or photovoltaic panels, new ideas are appearing that - in one way or another - favor food production, and that is what is important, that science and technology are applied for the good of the soil, air, people, and animals.
"Today we are immersed in a different stage, which is also about taking advantage of the magnetic energy that is in the earth through carbon batteries that we promote in the systems. It seems to me that it is also going to help a lot in the integral development of the farm.
"The project puts inputs in the hands of these farmers to obtain energy from renewable sources; but it also includes electric fences, seeds for silvopasture systems, and chainsaws to cut rustic poles, among other resources that are put to appropriate use".
In the intervention scenarios, both in Manatí and in Las Tunas, the reality exceeds the initial plans of the families, because the results have gone beyond the goals that were born just when they were begging for strength to clear the marabou (Dichrostachys cinerea) or to enjoy the three or four animals they had.
Now they are an example of the application of genetics in cows so they can produce more milk. They also excel in the breeding of worms, in aquaculture, and in the production of solid and liquid bio-fertilizers that remain as waste in the bio-digesters.
"No one knows more than the farmers themselves who work the land, and it is incalculable what they can achieve when they bring together ethics, knowledge, and the desire to prosper, attached to honest work that allows them to live without shortages and share the fruit of their hands with the most vulnerable".
