Cuba: Zapata Swamp Confirmed as Paper Territory

From the areas of Juan Luis Rangel Duarte’s farm, located in Soplillar, the first flowering of the plants can already be seen on an area of ​​two hectares.

Due to the good results obtained last year after the first foray into the novel experience of planting agroecological potatoes, planting was resumed at the end of 2024, and the plantations show excellent vitality, despite the lack of electricity that makes irrigation difficult.

Currently, it was decided to extend the experience to other points of the Wetland where there were levels of arable land, which allowed reaching a total of five hectares.

"Despite the lack of stability in irrigation, the field is showing good development, which predicts a yield of 20 tons per hectare," says the producer.

At the beginning of March, the harvest will begin, destined for the different settlements in the southern municipality.

With more than two decades as a farmer, Juan Luis Rangel demonstrated that the soils of the Ciénaga were capable of producing food, and this can be confirmed by touring the more than 30 hectares he owns.

In every inch of land you can see fruits such as guava, vegetables, bananas, among other products that are sold at different points of sale spread throughout the extensive municipality of Ciénaga de Zapata.

Thanks to their close ties with institutions such as the Indio Hatuey Pasture and Forage Experimental Station, they have become champions of agroecology by employing more environmentally friendly farming methods.

The producer assures that nothing is thrown away on his land, as he converts the remains of the harvest into green manure; they also use vermiculture and the remains of coal ash to hill up the bushes, actions that enrich the substrate.

Founder, together with his wife Mariana, of the Antonio Maure Credit and Services Cooperative, they have managed to maintain stable production over the last few years, exceeding 500 tons of food, including root vegetables, grains, vegetables and fruits.

This disproves the mistaken notion that marshy soils were sterility. Through sheer determination, producers like Juan Luis have shown that the desire to produce can transform swampy areas, where peat was prevalent, into an attractive potato field.