A few months ago Idalmis felt that the same force that made her jump out of bed in the morning was going away from her. Her father left this world and now she carries an absence in her chest, which only consoles herself with the work of the land, the only language that she has known since she was a child and she bequeathed it directly from her father.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Idalmis Rivero García confesses that his family history is linked to agriculture, she always knew that her future was to produce the land and do it from the old wisdom, but with the application of science and technique to achieve better yields.
At her Jerusalén farm, belonging to the Mártires de Pino 3 credit and services cooperative, she defends innovation day by day. The producer uses her ingenuity to make the land give birth in the current situation, always with the premise of "putting food on the tables of the population and also bringing profits to the family pocket."
“Agricultural work requires knowledge; but above all the desire to prosper, of understanding with the soils - Idalmis assures us. I have nine hectares of land dedicated to various crops, such as onion, tomato, cassava, beans, garlic, chili peppers, beets, and chard."
“I don't just plant, on my farm, there is land for small livestock that requires constant work and several people dedicated to that. Right now, there is a great shortage of workforce and to keep things afloat you have to be inventing, as we Cubans say."
“Agroecology is exploited to the maximum here. We use compost and we have seen the results of applying organic matter. There is no such thing as biofertilizers, and they also contribute to saving the country many resources."
Since last year, her little piece of land, in the municipality of “Amancio,” has made history by a certain “invention” that according to her has no name. Idalmis planted 31 rows of onion with a machine born from her ingenuity to speed up the work and save the labor force.
Her innovation consists of an iron wheel with a one-pound pommel on one side, and a funnel attached to the wheel, in such a way that the onion seeds come out of the funnel and fall into the furrow. The machine has a piece in front of it that plows the furrow, and another behind that is covering the seed.
Idalmis assures that before iron they used wood but it did not work. Many criticized her for wasting so much time in a machine that might never serve, but it was worth it. Since she put her innovation into practice, she has produced onions of up to eight ounces, and her profits have multiplied.
The producer speaks fondly of her commitment to the land; she narrates the course of her lineage linked to the same lands that she now sows. She assures that she has taught her son that same respect for tradition, and she hopes that he can create much more so that the Jerusalén farm never loses the family legacy.
