At Agroindustrial Máximo Gómez Company, are not only seeking to alleviate immediate shortages, but also to build a more resilient and sustainable agricultural model in the long term.
In the areas of the Agroindustrial Company of this People’s Council, located in the province of Matanzas, faced with the economic and climatic constraints affecting Cuba, farmers have found that hardy crops such as cassava and sweet potato are an effective solution to guarantee the region’s food security.
The entity, considered one of the most important productive centers in Matanzas, is also committed to planting extra-dense plantains, with successful results on several farms.
These strategies are essential for territorial self-sufficiency because they improve soil fertility and allow for the efficient use of resources, including water and fertilizers, contributing to environmental sustainability, explained director Osvaldo Rodríguez. «We are currently in the midst of the spring campaign, with good production of plantains, cassava, and squash, expanding these hardy crops to the more than 15 productive forms we serve,» the director added.
Short-cycle crops help diversify agricultural production, reducing dependence on long-cycle crops and increasing the resilience of the agri-food system to climatic and economic fluctuations.
The most difficult thing in this area isn’t planting, due to its excellent red ferralitic soils; the most complex thing here is for producers specializing in grains to diversify. However, Miguel Ángel Sotolongo Álvaro, a producer at the La Angelina Cooperative Basic Production Unit, is one of those who takes advantage of every quadrant of the irrigation machine. “We have 19 hectares of cassava already planted, and we’re preparing to plant two and a half hectares of plantain this month and next; we have seven and a half hectares of sweet potatoes on another machine.
The energy issue is affecting us, but these crops are more rural, require less irrigation, less everything, and are grown now in spring; it’s a sure harvest.” And at La Angelina, a unit that excels in potato production, when the tubers are harvested, the richness of that soil is used to plant rural crops with the eight irrigation machines, added its president, Luis Rodríguez Carrasco.
“We continue planting quadrants of cassava, squash, and sweet potato because they are harvested in October and November and reach their final destination, the small fields.” These crops are notable for their ability to adapt to adverse conditions.They require fewer inputs, less water, and have shorter production cycles than traditional crops.The Máximo Gómez Agroindustrial Company is not only seeking to alleviate the immediate shortage, but also to build a more resilient and sustainable agricultural model in the long term.
