Las Tunas - The "Increasing climate resilience of households and rural communities through the rehabilitation of productive landscapes in selected localities of the Republic of Cuba" (IRES, by its acronym in Spanish) is the new project being implemented in three municipalities of this territory, with technical assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and financing from the Green Climate Fund.

From a new approach, the initiative projects a sustained work in the municipalities of Amancio, Colombia and Jobabo, combining productive actions and agricultural processes with measures and investments to ensure resilience to climate change, according to Yoandry Ávila Igarza, president of the Association of Agricultural and Forestry Technicians in Las Tunas and technical responsible for Logistics and Training of IRES.
"It is, without a doubt, a contribution to improve the resilience of local livelihoods for risk management and, in turn, boost the development of inclusive and sustainable food systems in a considerable way," he explained.
In different spaces, the conceptual elements to understand the perspective focused on gender equity are already being enhanced, a process that, according to Avila Igarza, "is first worked with all those who develop the implementation of IRES with the objective that they are able to transmit this knowledge to all those involved in the initiative and replicate it at the level of municipalities, communities and productive bases".
How the project can make the contribution of women in various sectors of society more visible is another of the challenges facing the macro-project. "The intervention in each of these communities will also modify the ways in which rural people manage natural resources and face the consequences of climate change," he explained.
During the seven years that the project is expected to last, betting on gender training and all issues related to agroecology and resilience in the face of climate change will make IRES a space that will enable many transformations.
This is what Yoandry emphasizes, who states that "we intend, from these interventions, that universities, local projects, government agencies and other organizations related to community development are motivated and contribute from their lines to the implementation of the Food Sovereignty and Nutrition Education Plan. In the not so distant future, we want to have a better nourished and more productive society using more durable production techniques to the climate".
The IRES project also contributes to Tarea Vida (Life Task) and is implemented precisely in these three municipalities in the south of the province, since they are classified as high risk, according to the Climate Change Vulnerability Index for the region, prepared by the Development Bank of Latin America.