Cuba, FAO and the Netherlands continue to fight salinization in Cuban agriculture
Over the last few years, the Netherlands and Cuba, with support from FAO Cuba, the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture and the agricultural team of the Netherlands Embassy in Havana, have collaborated closely to better understand and combat the problem of salinization in Cuban agriculture. Experts from The Salt Doctors, a social enterprise from the Netherlands specialized in crop production under saline conditions, have been key in this process and have visited Cuba twice as part of this joint effort.
1 million hectares of saline land
Salinization has been a problem in Cuba since the 1950s, and is caused by saltwater intrusion, rising groundwater levels, and the use of saltwater for irrigation. Of the 3 million hectares of arable land in Cuba, 1 million hectares are affected by salinization, and another 1 million may be affected in the near future. Salinization is affecting the production of fruits and vegetables, potatoes and tropical roots, corn, rice and sugar beet.
Drainage and irrigation
As part of the Cuban Government’s policy to combat climate change, it addresses the problem of salinization through building and improving drainage systems and promoting alternative irrigation techniques. The identification of crops that have a higher tolerance for saline conditions has however not taken a prominent place in the efforts to address salinization so far. In The Netherlands, the latter has been an important element of the new insights and knowledge about saline agriculture that has been developed in recent years. Many of these insights were also shared during a study visit to The Netherlands for Cuban policy makers and agricultural advisors in the Summer of 2022.
Salt Doctors
The first visit of the Salt Doctors took place in March 2022. During this visit, Salt Doctors Arjen de Vos and Bas Bruning visited Artemisa, a salt affected agricultural area south of Havana, where they performed salinity assessments at several farms and held meetings with stakeholders like the Ministry of Agriculture and FAO Cuba. Main goal of this visit was to assess the potential of saline agriculture.
Climate resilience and food security
After this first visit, The Salt Doctors were hired directly by FAO to conduct a second visit at the beginning of 2023. During this second visit, The Salt Doctors visited the sites of two projects that are currently implemented in Cuba with support of FAO: the IRES and COBIMAS projects. These projects aim at increasing the climate resilience of agricultural production and guaranteeing food security through improved ecosystem services, as well as to sustainably intensify agricultural production in the Cuban context.
Pilot Project Saline Agriculture
The second visit led to specific recommendations, which include setting up a pilot project as well as a roadmap towards large scale implementation of saline agriculture. At present, the opportunities and the financial resources to start with this pilot are being explored. If these financial resources are secured, Cuba may well have a first saline agriculture pilot project before long.