Caracterización de la situación agroproductiva de una finca campesina en Matanzas, Cuba

Abstract

Objective: To characterize the productive system of a peasant farm to establish the strategy that propitiates its productive improvement, sustainability and agroecological transition. Materials and Methods: To characterize the entity of 40 ha of land in usufruct a structured survey, elaborated by the Local Agricultural Innovation, Program, was used. The information was also complemented with the Farm Plan methodology. The management of the productive system, main agroecological practices used, limitations and potentialities of the farm, were evaluated, as well as the transformations the farmer intends to make, the desired situation and agrobiodiversity. Results: The productions of the farm were 9 926 kg of milk year-1 and 8 740 kg of meat year-1. Two hundred forty-four plants of fruit trees, from 22 species, were found. The farm had varied productions, although it shows deficiencies that limit its development: pastures of low quality and availability, insufficient preserved feedstuffs, scarce utilization of organic fertilizers, deficient practices for pest management and little integration of animal husbandry and agricultural activities. Nevertheless, a strategy was elaborated for its agroecological transition. Conclusions: The farm shows deficiencies in the agricultural and animal husbandry area that limit its development. The inclusion of diverse crops, of better nutritional quality and higher availability, as well as the utilization of good conservationist and sustainable practices, will allow the transformation of the food basis and improvement of the productive system.

Keywords

• biodiversity; diagnosis; experimental farms