The morning starts early for Yosvani Mesa Rodríguez, a young man who has made food production his priority. He is not a landowner, not even a beneficial owner; but, as a farmworker, he does his part… and a little more.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- His current responsibility is to take the reins of the livestock module of the Maniabo basic unit of cooperative production (UBPC), in the municipality of Las Tunas, where sheep, goats, pigs, and even birds are born and raised since they designed a small incubator for the production of chicks from the semi-rustic hens that they initially acquired.

They are just two workers. One of them is in charge of herding sheep goats and many other activities. Yosvani dedicates her hours to coordinating the activities of the area, care for the herds, and preparing food for the animals.

They guarantee the full operation of the module and, most importantly, that there is the protein in the workers' diet; and they also can purchase some meat products to take to their homes. That is Yosvani’s mission.

“We have managed to keep the module working with the by-products of crops and the protein plants we grow. We produce feed from these plants and crops of corn and beans, plus the remains of cassava. We grind the sugarcane and give it to them fresh, or dehydrate it, to save and avoid the fermentation process.

“We also take advantage of the benefits of nature. We went out to collect marabou and West Indian elm seeds. We have even used the seeds of algarrobilla, an excellent source of protein that we add to poultry food.”

Amid the hubbub of the animals, he explains how they have been able to increase the mass, the alternatives they use to prevent diseases and parasites, and the satisfaction of the workers when they receive a more varied and tasty lunch.

For some time now, they have been eating fish occasionally and that is the result of the initiative of this man, for whom the days fly by between things to do and ideas that are born in his mind, which he realizes very quickly, thanks to the support of the administration of the center.

“Fish is for the benefit of the workers and the animals of the module. There are some water mirrors in the unit, from which we obtain the fishes, which are native. The steaks are for humans, and the birds benefit from the rest.

“Seeking for efficiency in the area, we apply science, we cook these remains and then we make fishmeal, which gives protein and flavor.

“We intend to increase production from a fingerling center that we are implementing because, currently, the raw material is not enough. We are going to start with a pond, and perhaps later we can enable others.”

There is no time for resting at the livestock module. They want to increase the sheep-goat mass and start rabbit farming, which has remained pending. And, in the midst of that hustle and bustle, they consolidate the area for the reproduction of geese, which have always existed in the unit.

“They are our lifelong heritage and the identity of the 'Maniabo'. One cannot imagine being here and not having them. That is why we want to multiply them.”