| Cattle raising farms |
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| Escrito por Dixie Edith | |||||||||
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Calves at La Victoria farm on the outskirts of the city of Bayamo, 750 kilometers east of Havana, are given motherly care, but not by the cows precisely. Idis Milanés and Vivian Mojena are two local women caring for and feeding 223 calves there. "This work is very demanding. Calves are brought here seven days after birth and are fed on milk substitutes until they are 90 days old," Milanés indicated. Staffed by five women and seven men, the farm has been implementing a cooperation project that seeks to boost production at a local cooperative. "Women look after calves here," said Arturo Hernández, a 41-year-old intermediate-level technician who is the farm manager. "The animals gain 750 grams a day on average thanks to substitute mothers, and the mortality rate stands at two percent now, as compared to seven percent in the past," he added. "As I live here, I can take better care of the animals. I often dream about them," he stressed. "The transition from wage earners to self-managed business people can not take place overnight," said Alberto Moreno, project coordinator and vice-president of the National Association for Animal Production (ACPA) in Granma province. The Project The pilot project that was undertaken three years ago at the Francisco Suárez Basic Unit of Cooperative Production (UBPC) aims to establish and operate cattle raising farms under a new modality. It is financed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CARE-France and Canada (NGOs), and the Swiss Development Cooperation Agency through the United Nations Local Human Development Program. ACPA is the national counterpart in charge of executing and monitoring the project. "Production at local farms has been dropping lately due to lack of autonomy, inadequate incentives and financial constraints," a project document indicates. "The idea is to promote diversification and autonomy, and empower cattle-raisers so as to increase milk and beef production," it adds. Dalia, the chief "Women play an active role at project farms," Moreno emphasized. "They take care of animals and/or tree nurseries," he commented. ACPA has given top priority to gender equality issues. Around 40 percent of its grassroots organizations are headed by women, despite deeply rooted patriarchal traditions. Dalia Cabrera, for example, is the chief at the UBPC's sheep, pig and goat farm. "We are also raising ducks and hens," she remarked. "I had never been the chief at a workplace, but our boss was promoted and I was asked to take up his post," she recalled. "She works really hard," José A. Monte, one of her subordinates, stressed. "And not only here, but also at home," added her husband Ángel Mora. "La Designada (Dalia's farm) will keep on growing. We plan to move from 33 pigs today to 60 by the end of 2009, and exceed 600 sheep by late 2010," she anticipated. "Seventy percent of our profits stay here and 30 percent go to the UBPC," she explained. Another woman in charge José Rosa has been working at cattle raising farms for 20 years. He is the head of the UBPC and strongly believes that the new farms are helping develop a true sense of belonging. "We have achieved a record production level (2,870 liters of milk a day)," he commented. The UBPC is also providing services to cattle raising farms that currently account for 70 percent of overall production. "The number of cattle raising farms under the umbrella of our UBPC will move from three today to 12 by the end of next year," said its president Sonia Aguilar. The service list includes water supply, veterinary care, artificial insemination, storage facilities, construction and refurbishing works, and legal consultancy. "Farms will only be expected to raise cattle and produce," she indicated. "I think I was elected president because I do not give orders; I work with them," she stressed. "I will complete my engineering studies next year," she emphasized. "The farm is becoming increasingly efficient. We hope to produce over one million liters of milk by 2011," she added. "There is still a long way to go, however. Local cattle raisers are wearing caps and riding bicycles today; we want them to use hats and ride horses instead," Moreno concluded.
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