HAVANA, Sep 10 (IPS) - Cuba is facing
the challenge of boosting agricultural output under difficult
climate conditions and on soils badly deteriorated by erosion,
salinity and other problems. And scientists have a strategic
role to play, provided they do not sit in their laboratories but
get out into the fields where the action is.
"To do real science you have to be out there where the crops are
growing," said Sergio Ramírez, the son of a farmer who for the
past 18 years has directed a research centre that is vital to
meeting the challenge of securing Cuba's food supplies, however
adverse the climate conditions. In his view, the main thing is
to be prepared for climate change, look for solutions, and bring
together the experience and know-how of small farmers with the
theoretical knowledge of researchers, in order to be forearmed
to face the coming difficulties.
To respond to this challenge, "Cuba possesses a potential range
of species and varieties that allow cultivation of specific
foods under particular climate conditions," said Rodríguez, the
head of the National Research Institute of Tropical Root
Vegetables (INIVIT) in the central province of Villa Clara. The
expert told IPS over the telephone that many tropical countries
like Cuba must plan food production around two completely
opposite sets of probable conditions: severe drought and
hurricanes. Three hurricanes devastated the island's crops in
2008.
It is no secret that 76 percent of the country's farmland is
relatively unproductive, with nearly 15 percent being affected
by soil salinity and another 14 percent with low organic matter
content, due to soil exhaustion and other reasons, Rodríguez
said.
"The situation is improving with the use of farm animals to work
the land, and organic fertilisers and biological control methods
instead of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. I would say we
are moving towards a low-input, economically sustainable
agriculture that is less harmful to the environment," he said.
To mitigate adverse climate factors, in Rodríguez's opinion the
key is to diversify agriculture, in order to ensure there is
sufficient food after a hurricane or a lengthy drought. "Growing
a wide variety of crops will also help satisfy consumer demand,"
he added.
He mentioned the advantages of planting sweet potato (Ipomoea
batatas) and pumpkin or squash (Cucurbita moschata), for
instance, two creeping plants that are resistant to high winds.
The same is true of taro (Xanthosoma and Colocasia esculenta)
because it is a low-growing plant and has firm root anchorage,
he said.
"During times of severe drought we can grow cassava (Manihot
esculenta) and plantains (Musa paradisiaca), which can survive
long periods without water. When crops are diversified, an
answer can be found to everything," said Rodríguez. Many species
of roots and tubers are particularly appreciated by Cubans as
staple foods.
According to Rodríguez, INIVIT has these varieties available and
is constantly seeking others. "At present we are experiencing a
period of high temperatures in Cuba and we have to design
varieties resistant to these conditions," he said.
The research centre maintains a germplasm bank containing 650
varieties of sweet potato, 512 of cassava, 327 plantain and
banana varieties, 120 of yam and 152 taro species. "These
genetic resources are one of the country's major strengths," he
said.
According to Rodríguez, the germplasm bank is "a living museum,
containing the genes necessary to cross plant lines and
construct new varieties with the ability to resist or adapt to
adverse conditions." To preserve this genetic wealth is "to
conserve biodiversity, which makes it possible to select the
most suitable characteristics for every possible set of
conditions," he said.
Science - from the ground up
The means of communicating crop science from the laboratory to
the field need to be improved, however, Rodríguez acknowledged.
"Agricultural extension," the process by which new farming
technology is introduced into a rural community, is an
unresolved problem. "We have made progress, but there is still a
lot to be done," he said.
INIVIT has created a "national root vegetables group" made up of
research scientists who visit every municipality in the country
where these crops are grown, once every three months, in order
to present scientific results and help with technology transfer,
or the distribution of varieties created by the producers
themselves.
"There is a lot of science at ground level: we find many farmers
who develop their own cultivation techniques and are willing to
share with others what they have learned from experience. We
disseminate those achievements, giving credit to the farmers, of
course," said Rodríguez.
The expert said training is also essential, because access to
crop varieties and resources is not enough.
"If we don't train farmers to make the most effective use of
inputs and plant the vegetable varieties at the right time and
place, there won't be a good response in terms of productivity,"
he said.
To this end, Rodríguez said it is necessary to continue to
"study in depth" the issue of agricultural extension to foster
sustainable, ecofriendly farming methods.
"This is not just a Cuban problem; there is generally an
enormous gulf between what is known in research centres and what
reaches the farmer in the fields," said Rodríguez. Another
extremely important issue is to have an adequate supply of
high-quality seeds, without which no agricultural system can
operate efficiently, he added.
According to official statistics, national production guarantees
the seed supply for 94 percent of the farmed area on the island,
while seeds are imported for six percent of the farmland, mainly
to grow vegetables and potatoes.
Rodríguez estimates that Cuba could potentially produce up to 40
million plants a year, of different species, using in vitro
(test tube) propagation methods, an ambition that has been
thwarted by lack of funds.
This technique is used in the laboratory to multiply seedlings
faster, so that they can be distributed to farmers.
The 11 molecular biology facilities in Cuba, where
biotechnological research, development and production are under
way, are a national asset whose potential is not being
sufficiently exploited, according to the 62-year-old Rodríguez,
who has a doctorate in agricultural sciences and has worked in
his field for over thirty years. "High-yield agriculture cannot
be achieved without high-quality seeds," he said.
Cuban scientists warn that climate change poses a threat to
sustainable development in the country, and point to the
increased force of hurricanes, more frequent droughts, more
tornadoes and heavy rainstorms, and changes in the patterns of
crop growth and yields, among other meteorological signs.
(END/2009)