• Submitted by: admin
• Science and Technology
• 10 / 26 / 2006

Roberto Arias Milla, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative in Cuba, spoke about some of the new agriculture initiatives being undertaken on the island.

During a visit to the province of Guantanamo, 929 kilometers east of Havana,
Arias told ACN that Cuba is one of the countries that most takes advantage of FAO cooperation with 23 projects currently being implemented by the UN agency.

He pointed out that the work being down by local agricultural cooperatives
based on a technique of alternating crops that reduces mechanical impacts on
the soil and uses rapidly-decomposing herbicides. This technique is currently being implemented in more than 30 countries of the world.

The agricultural sector in Guantanamo has all the necessary resources and
equipment and is implementing this initiative along the Guantanamo-Guaso
riverside. An area that houses 128 towns and is characterized by soils with high salinity levels, poor drainage and high erosion indicators, said the FAO executive.

The conservation agriculture initiative has thus far been implemented on 10
hectares of land in the province, and is already showing improved productivity levels, particularly for beans and vegetables, while a noticeable decrease in the use of fuels and water has also been reported.

This agricultural initiative was supported by a number of activities in Guantanamo including a scientific workshop that took place with the participation of Dr.Jose Benitez, a world-renowned promoter of conservation agriculture and the FAO representative for Argentina.

Source: Ahora.cu