Young Cubans Lend a Hand in Agriculture
For example, in Camaguey, ravaged by Hurricane Ike, students are learning the art of greenhouse agriculture in both semi-protected and protected greenhouses that shield plants from too much sun and rainfall.
Just a few days after the passing of Hurricane Ike, students went to the fields to do their part to bring about a speedy recovery in this important sector. High school student Jicari García recalls the devastation left by Ike, “We had to start from zero, the hurricane didn’t leave anything and we had to build the greenhouse from nothing. We all pitched in and we have already harvested several crops.”
Teacher Luis Pired, who has been with the students, leading by example, says, “We had to re-establish everything...and so far we have produced thousands of pesos of food, but the most important is the contribution made by the young students.”
A similar storyline can be said for many of the municipalities of Camaguey, where students have been a major force in the agriculture recovery effort.
Mailyn Núñez and classmate Leydi Guerra recall with horror the day Ike hit. “Even the emblematic pine trees that stood at the entrance to our school were ripped up.”
The two students along with their schoolmates worked hard to replant the banana and plantain fields, and have already gotten to literally taste the fruits of their labor.
With similar efforts like this across the island, the country has made a speedy recovery in the agriculture sector.
