In the hills of Florencia, if you ask for Yamilé Oria Hernández, you may never find her; instead, inquire about countrywoman and you will immediately have references to one of the most recognized women in the area, dedicated for more than 10 years to pig farming and promoter of harmonious practices with the environment.
On her Las Margaritas farm, with almost five hectares and linked to the Delfin Luis Paz Credit and Services Cooperative, she makes optimal use of the space, intended not only for raising pigs, but also for the production of biogas from the waste of the animals.
In this way, it reduces the consumption of electrical energy, avoids the emission of pollutants into the environment and can use the final residues of the bio digester to irrigate and fertilize the crops.
The feasibility of implementing agro ecological techniques is appreciable in plantations of root vegetables, fruit trees (mamey, guava, cherry, custard apple, coconut, mango, soursop and avocado) and animal feed, productions in which his son (Agronomy technician) is also involved. , her daughter (veterinary doctor) and Alexis Felipe Pérez Burgos (husband), who is dedicated to the construction of bio digesters in the area.
Her support, she assures, was essential to achieve success in the world of pig farming, although her breeding is currently limited to about 60 pigs with dark coats due to the limitations with animal feed existing in the nation, a situation that forces her to develop alternatives such as cassava, sweet potato, kinggrass, palmiche and cane silage.
The conversion of meat takes a little longer, in relation to other breeds; however, it recognizes other benefits: economic sustainability, ability to adapt to natural conditions, resistance to diseases and climate change, and obtaining better quality meat.
Preserving pig production allows him to make meat sales, at least once a week, at the Mamey agricultural market that he leased more than a year ago in the town of Tamarindo, where he also always offers between 10 and 12 varieties of agricultural products from of his land.
It contributes to satisfying the demands of the population and contributes to the programs of Food Sovereignty and Nutritional Education, and Municipal Self-sufficiency, the latter with the goal of achieving a monthly per capita of 30 pounds of agricultural products and 5 kilograms of animal protein.
Pig raising is part of a closed production cycle that makes your property a benchmark for other similar ones in the country, by achieving optimal use of natural resources and promoting sustainable development.
Agricultural production supports pig farming, the waste from these animals is used to generate biogas and the residuals from the bio-digester (certified by scientific institutions) used as organic fertilizer for the various plantations, she explains.
Under normal circumstances, with 200 animals in the pen, they produced enough biogas to supply their home and that of their daughter, where they maintain a high consumption for cooking food for the family, farm workers and pigs.
Before, the amount of electricity was up to 500 pesos and with the bio-digester he reduced it to a tiny figure, so that the first month he paid only eight, as stated in the study he presented at a tropical pig farming event.
Now, with fewer possibilities to generate and a different rate than that of that date, the payments do not exceed 100.00 pesos in a house where they have all the electrical appliances, including air conditioning equipment.
She assures that the bio-digester changes the life of rural women, "cooking food with firewood, the smell of smoke and dirt is over". It offers a cleaner energy and the possibility of using organic fertilizers qualified by it as wonderful, taking into account the yields and the quality of the productions.
The Countrywoman is also recognized in Cuba for its participation in tropical pig farming events and the incorporation, since 2013, of the international project Connecting Landscapes, which declared its property as a School Farm with a Landscape Approach, a category that only six hold in the country.
She and her family are committed to transferring knowledge about the use of renewable energy sources and agro-ecological techniques, essential for the sustainable development and conservation of mountain ecosystems.
To the extent that pig production recovers, he will be able to materialize the idea of delivering biogas to homes near his farm, with the advice of professors from the University of Sancti Spíritus, who offered solutions to inconveniences to transfer that energy to distant places, due to the mountainous relief.
The idea of compressing the gas and storing it in bullets for later distribution was handled, which requires resources that are available in the municipality of Yaguajay in Sancti Spiritus and can be used for this task, she says.
Connecting Landscapes has created new opportunities for the development of Las Margaritas by providing knowledge on intercropping, the use of animal traction, soil management and the use of organic fertilizers, just to mention a few, he said.
She feels happy to have received tools for agricultural work, computer resources and office supplies to work as a school farm, and kitchen items that work with biogas, including a rice cooker.
The project has been an opportunity for exchange with producers from all over the country and specialists from other nations, in order to obtain and share experiences.
Before, she assures, she was there "calm and 'save', now she knows me to the cat and I have earned everyone's respect and admiration with my work." She feels like an empowered woman.
