Every time a hurricane or tropical storm passes through or near the island, agricultural production and the availability of food supplies at markets diminishes in proportion to the magnitude and impact in each particular territory.

Nevertheless, in the widely used intensive urban agriculture, tropical storms or prolonged drought as felt last year, caused less damage than in conventional farming in the rest of the agriculture and cattle raising sector of the economy.

Urban agriculture is a production system that is less vulnerable to the impact of extreme weather events, and likewise, its recovery afterwards is much faster, said Dr. Nelson Companioni Concepcion, secretary of the National Urban Agriculture Group and also deputy director of the Tropical Agriculture Basic Research Institute (INIFAT).

The Cuban agricultural expert underscored that they have created a program of tasks to be implemented in order to apply as preventive measures in accordance with the different phases of alert of a tropical storm as informed by the civil defense authorities.

He said Cuba now has 3,420 organic agriculture plots covering a surface of 2,080 hectares, the vast majority of one hectare or less.

The beds of the organic agriculture plots are protected by lateral walls so that when intense rainfall occurs act as a barrier to prevent soil erosion. At the intensive orchards that cover 6,806 hectares all along the Cuban archipelago, damage can be reduced by means of an adequate drainage system, Dr. Companioni added.

More than half a million family gardens and small plots also form part of the urban agriculture network, covering a total area of 41,500 hectares. In those gardens the risk of damage due to strong winds are smaller, because they are better protected by surrounding buildings.

PREVENTION AND READINESS

An adequate selection of the areas to be planted, and the use of designs that are resistant and easily dismantled are the basic elements to diminish the risk of natural disasters to the semi-protected crops, Companioni assured.

The readiness of urban agriculture to deal with storms also includes having adequate reserves of seeds, organic fertilizer, biological pest control and animal feed.

During the hurricane season (June-November) the crops to be planted should be ones that don't grow in an upward direction so that they will not be exposed to wind damage. Planting close together seals the areas and avoids the existence of empty spots.

In relation to the animal husbandry programs, the expert said that rustic shelters must be readied to house the animals during storms.

When a territory is on a storm alert, each production unit should move into a special work schedule to intensify the harvesting of crops, begin the movement of the animals to safe places and put all resources and supplies that may be damaged into storage facilities. They must also cut the branches of nearby trees and protect the areas where the seedlings are growing.

After the hurricane is over, the plots should be strengthened with organic matter and planted with fast cycle crops like Chinese chard, radishes and lettuce if the season allows.

Source: Granma