Holguín boosts weather-resistant crops

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment in the province of Holguin promotes the planting of crops resistant to climate change, as part of the Tarea Vida (Life Task), a state plan to confront this phenomenon in Cuba.

In cooperatives in several municipalities, among them Antonio Maceo in Banes, these alternatives are implemented, in addition to the use of renewable energy sources such as solar and biomass to contribute to saving electricity.

Artemio Chacon Ramirez, an agricultural official, indicated to the Cuban News Agency that the varieties include cassava, plantain and sweet potato, which has allowed increasing yields by more than four tons per hectare from 2021 to date.

He stressed that in parallel, producers can access training courses on agroecological techniques, including natural fertilizers, which contributes to reducing the effects of the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States against Cuba.

In other territories, such as Calixto Garcia and Rafael Freyre, there are also international projects with the collaboration of the United Nations Development Program, which also promote the planting of animal feed and livestock breeding based on sustainable strategies.

As part of Task Vida, priority is given to the protection of beaches for tourist use based on the monitoring of the coastline, species of flora and fauna, dunes, in order to preserve these ecosystems and project investments for the development of tourism.

Since 2017 Cuba has applied measures in more than 70 municipalities of its geography to reduce the impact of saline intrusion, coastal flooding, sea level rise, intense drought and other effects of global warming. (Source: ACN)