MADRID, Spain.- The Cuban government will implement a project to install solar electric pumps in agricultural areas, financed by the FAO and the Global Environment Facility. According to the Latin PressThe electric pumps will be sent to key locations such as the Soler Farm in Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus (center); the Río Cauto Base Business Unit in Delta del Cauto, Granma (east); and the Company for the Conservation of the Zapata Swamp, in Matanzas (west), under the leadership of the Flora and Fauna Business Group.
This initiative, promoted by FAO, is part of the project “Conservation of biodiversity and sustainable management of ecosystems in agriculture” in Cuba. Its objective is to improve food production while protecting agricultural biodiversity, highlighting the introduction of solar electric pumps as a step towards energy sustainability in the field. Since its inception in 2019, the project has promoted the conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity in four Cuban municipalities, in order to preserve and adapt essential genetic resources to the challenges of climate change. However, the results are not reflected in the basic diet of Cubans, who have continued to face a serious food crisis.
The FAO, cited by the official media, highlights the increase in the populations of 12 local varieties of plants, such as rice, sweet potato and corn, as well as in the breeding of native animals such as the Creole pig and the Cuban chicken. However, in recent months the protein and caloric consumption of the population has decreased dramatically, partly due to the power outages that affect production. agricultural.
While the introduction of solar pumps could improve irrigation and access to water for livestock, their true effectiveness has yet to be tested on the ground. In a context of growing social dissatisfaction and economic crisis, this project seems more like an attempt by the government to show progress than a real solution to the structural problems facing the nation.
Cuban farmers continue to struggle against an uncertain reality, with a lack of inputs and poor infrastructure remaining insurmountable obstacles to sustainable agricultural production. Meanwhile, the Cuban population continues to see food prices rise and food insecurity become an increasingly urgent concern.
