Coco, as he is known since his nurse "baptized" him, is the nickname of Julio de Armas Castillo, a prototype of a Cuban peasant, with the wisdom to cultivate the land and surprising communication skills that he attributes to his training as a Sound Technician and the performance as a singer, percussionist and composer.
Although he is passionate about music, it does not represent his personal fulfillment. It is easy to perceive it. In his speech, he always imposes the interest for the land, instilled since childhood, when he contributed to the fact that the backyard of his house, in the Catalina District, of the Popular Council Patria, in the municipality of Morón, held the Double Excellence, maximum distinction granted by the National Group of Urban, Suburban and Family Agriculture.
“As fate would have it, I had to pursue my career, but six years ago I returned to cultivating the land. I joined the Patria Dos organoponic, where I started practically from scratch: I had to rebuild the place, stonemason by stonemason, install the irrigation system (including the assembly of a turbine), apply substrates to the ground and perform dissimilar tasks to obtain results. Thus, the condition of Double Excellence returned and, both my co-worker and myself, we are proud that our piece is proposed for Triple Excellence, which constitutes an incentive to continue working."
He recognizes the preference for urban agriculture, “although it is complicated and requires sacrifice because practically all the work is manual. It demands systematicity, it cannot be neglected for a day. Even on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, we stay in the stonemasons, because commitment and dedication are essential”.
He is also encouraged by the commitment to supplying priority centers in the territory of Morón (schools, kindergartens, hospitals, homes for the elderly and isolation centers), where his carrots, lettuces, cabbages, cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, chard arrive …, high-quality productions that arouse the interest of the tourism sector, with which they plan to achieve productive chains.
The demands impose new challenges for Coco, who requested the concession of three hectares of land in usufruct, because the 0.5 of its organoponic is not enough to meet the goal of increasing the production of vegetables. "With effort and help I can do it," he says.
Although, in some way, he has been recognized in that area, the lack of inputs imposed by the national and international economic crisis and the intensification of the blockade imposed on Cuba by the US government, have not caused great damage, because chemical products are not the Fundamental fertilizers and pesticides. Julio proudly shows his chives beds, surprisingly large, and reveals the “secret”.
“We use organic materials (vermiculture, cattle manure, chicken manure and compost, the latter made from crop residues). Urban agriculture has been a pioneer in ecological practices and we can affirm, at least in our case, that the results are positive.
“Biological fertilizers are more effective because they enrich the soils. When chemical products are applied, immediate results are obtained for a harvest, however, when we use less aggressive methods (natural products) we provide nutrients forever, we restore vitality to the soils and that is rewarded with plants that achieve greater vegetative development, without rule out that foods are healthier. With ecological formulas we also fight pests."
From his plantations, he manages to extract around 40% or 50% of the seeds he uses, managing to reduce the cost of his productions by avoiding the high prices in the market. He underlines this problem as a limitation to make the land produce and hopes it will be solved based on the measures recently adopted by the Cuban government to stimulate work in the field, favor the profits of producers and promote compliance with programs of local self-sufficiency and Food Sovereignty and Nutrition Education.
He is confident that the Revolution will correct the problems originated in the countryside with the increase in the cost of electricity, water and supplies. “I say this with all frankness, as a Cuban, revolutionary and agricultural producer eager to respond to the call of the highest leadership of the country. On us (the peasants), the responsibility of guaranteeing a good part of the people's food and reducing unnecessary imports rest, for which we require that support”.
In his Facebook account, he shows me one of his friends, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba, Jorge Luis Tapia Fonseca, a leader who won his respect and admiration since his transition as First Secretary of the Party in the province of Ciego de Ávila. Coco regularly shows him his productions in photos sent by Messenger, so that he knows that the peasant from Patria is still standing and keeps his word.
“I have a lot of affinity with him, I met him at home, where we talked a couple of times during his visits to appreciate the productions and recognize my work. He gave me a lot of confidence. Tapia provoked admiration in me when, recently, he called to go to the fields to see in what conditions our farmers produce and to know their needs.
“In my case, electricity consumption hits me a lot, to the extent that in two months I have paid up to 11,000.00 pesos, mainly for the turbine. I have a tank where I pump the water and then I have to pump it back to the organoponic, because I use the risk of sprinkling and that is the only alternative for the liquid to reach the plantations. If I had a submersible turbine, I estimate it would save 70% of the electrical energy that I currently use.
“But, the most effective thing would be to use renewable sources, particularly solar, which implies an investment, however, it would represent gains for us and for the country.
"In the case of urban agriculture we have to work more, focus on small spaces that are productive, improve irrigation systems and assess the possibility of installing solar panels, in search of efficiency and better yields."
Coco hopes that the new measures will put an end to the difficulties with commercialization and bureaucratic obstacles to access bank loans, and to be a tenant of the 0.5 hectares occupied by its organoponic, belonging to the UEB Urban Farm Morón.
“Sometimes, I sell 20 000 pesos and they can only pay me 5 000, which would be solved if they gave me the land in usufruct. In the end, I receive very little help (almost none) from the entity to which I belong, since I have to manage around 98% of the resources that I use, as if I were a private producer. I think these issues can be resolved to stimulate our performance."
These are the desires of a simple and humble man who works the land with his eyes set on the horizon of a country. A peasant who can only be Cuban, because he talks about music, social networks, science and innovation in terms of achieving food sovereignty, and even values ??the possibility of holding an event to share his experiences with all those interested in developing the urban agriculture, in organoponics, backyards or parcels of land.
“The best knowledge is acquired in practice, you have to be systematic, we cannot get tired. Sometimes we fail; others we succeed. Although the climate does not always accompany us to develop these crops, there are pests and resource restrictions persist, we continue working, with the certainty that the ¨Path¨ will be clearer to make the land produce."