Radio Havana Cuba's Science and Technology Program:
BREAKTHROUGHFor broadcast Sunday, 03 October and Thursday, 07 October 1999
Written and narrated by Arnaldo "Arnie" Coro, RHC's Science Editor
SOUND: Theme, to background and fade out
VOICE: ( Coro ) Hello amigos! Welcome to Breakthrough... RHC's science, technology and the environment update... I am Arnaldo, Arnie, Coro, the station's science editor, and today I am proud to present a special report about the Guantanamo Province's program for the recovery of arid lands. In several previous editions of Breakthrough we have presented aspects of this program that was designed to bring back for agricultural use lands that were slowly, and sometimes not so slowly, turning into a desert... The very special climatic conditions of southern Guantanamo province in eastern Cuba has led to loss of what used to be prosperous areas in which sugar cane was grown. According to Cuban agricultural experts like Dra. Matilde Borroto, using water with a very high salt content for irrigation was one of the main causes of the process of desertification, or in other words, a process by which agricultural land turns into a desert in a certain number of years.
There are many ways of handling this problem, but unfortunately, all require investing a lot of resources and human labor... For the areas with high salt content already, the easiest path for recovery is washing the land with huge amounts of fresh water, so that the salts will be just washed away. This requires locating a suitable source for the water that will be needed, then transporting the water to the area, and finally elaborating a program, as this is not just opening a valve and letting water flow. The washing of high saline content lands is a science in itself, and the process must be very carefully controlled. Then, after the salt content is at a certain level, phase two of the desalination program begins, by planting several different plants that have high tolerance for salt, like the amaranth... So far several hundred acres of what was wasteland are now completely recoverd for agricultural use, thanks to these procedures.
But this is only part of the arid land recovery program... Scientists are advising local farmers on what crops to grow, and how to use the leftovers as natural organic fertilizers to help restore the upper layers of the soil. Use of contour plowing is mandatory, and the experimental scientific station in the area closely monitors the soils. Just to give you an idea on how fast desertification was taking place... the sugar mill PARAGUAY could not harvest during several seasons, as the yields obtained were so poor that it was uneconomical to process the sugar cane grown there. Scientists, agronomists, technicians and managers have worked together, not only to recover some of the lost land, but also to bring to a halt the salinization process that was taking place in the region. The program uses a systems approach, making use of the most modern technology available, and above all, training the local residents so that they can continue managing the land resources properly all by themselves.
That's the reason, and here is the good news, why the United Nations is contemplating the Guantanamo Arid Lands Recovery Program as a candidate for a special AWARD, given to those who help fight one of agriculture's worst enemies... the terrible process by which useful land turns into a desert. In a few days United Nations experts will be visiting the area in order to learn more about how it works and what it can do in the future if more resources are allocated. From what I have learned, I can certainly tell you that those working in Guantanamo's arid lands project deserve that award.... and if they do receive it, you can be sure that it will be a headline topic here at Breakthrough for sure.
SOUND: Theme, to background
VOICE: ( Coro ) And this was Breakthrough for today amigos! The good news that the United Nations is contemplating the Guantanamo province arid land recovery program for an international award given to those who help Planet Earth avoid the terrible process of desertification. From Havana, I am Arnaldo, Arnie, Coro, RHC's science editor, together with my sound engineer Jose Costa Pupo now saying goodbye and wishing you excellent short wave reception.
For more information, via Air Mail:
"Breakthrough"
Radio Havana Cuba
PO Box 6240, Havana, CUBA 10600
Via e-mail: arnie@radiohc.org
To Arnie Coro's Dxers Unlimited
Back to RHC Homepage