 The Velázquez Brothers farm achieved the certification of the sustainable land management program |
The conception of more than 70 actions as part of the State Plan to confront climate change, Tarea Vida (Life Task), allows this eastern Cuban province to focus on its main environmental problems.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- A score of organizations and entities of the territory are involved in responding to the governmental purpose that governs the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment (CITMA, in Spanish) through training and the materialization of projects.
Such efforts made Las Tunas worthy of the Outstanding Condition in its environmental management, encouraging results among which stands out the certification of a farm that initiated the sustainable land management program, the Velázquez Brothers, of the Cuba Va Credit and Services Cooperative, in the municipality of Majibacoa.
It was also possible to certify 16 farms that use agroecological methods that are much more environmentally friendly, a process monitored by the Cuban Association of Agricultural and Forestry Technicians (ACTAF) and the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP).
Las Tunas exhibits a forest cover index of 19.21 percent, a value that, although lower than that recorded in 2022 (20.13 percent), is associated with the decision to remove fruit tree plantations from the forest heritage and, therefore, the reconstruction of 129 hectares of degraded forests was guaranteed.
Regarding desertification and drought, work is being carried out in the development of strategies to mitigate this problem in municipalities such as Manatí and the North Coast Forest Belt mega-project, with a multidisciplinary and intersectoral approach.
The effectiveness of the Provincial Meteorological Center's forecasts of over 93 percent and a constant study of weather conditions contribute decisively to sectors such as agriculture and are among the positive results of CITMA in Las Tunas.
Circular economy, climate resilience, capacity building, and agricultural innovation are some of the central axes of projects and programs that materialize in this eastern territory; they contribute to food sovereignty and social equity of communities, a challenge that marks the environmental management of Las Tunas.
