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Cuba
Progress
and Activities
2009 Activities
• SRI with Sprinkler Irrigation Presented at Rice Irrigation Workshop in Cuba
On September 30, a rice irrigation workshop was held at the Institute of Investigations for Irrigation and Drainage in Havana to discuss the current state of the hydraulic infrastructure in Cuba, as well as to examine new techniques of rice  production that include sprinkler irrigation rather than flooding. Rena Perez presented information on SRI, including a review of the Brazilian experience with sprinkler irrigation using the central pivot system. In the Brazilian trial, yield was increased from 3.5 to 8.0 t/ha, while production cost/ha was reduced by 20 percent. Dr. Perez also showed on-going sprinkler trials using adapted SRI (SICA) methods with rice in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba (shown at right; click on photo to enlarge) She and her colleagues are planning to undertake additional sprinkler trials using 25 x 25cm spacing.
• Spanish Language Google Group opens SRI Discussions
SICA-America-Latina is a Spanish language Google Group for discussions about the SRI
(Sistema Intensivo Cultivo Arroz or SICA in Spanish) primarily relating to Latin America. Global SRI issues are also discussed. The list, which was
was initiated in February 2009, is moderated by Rena Perez, who has been instrumental in disseminating SRI in numerous countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. To subscribe, go to the SICA AMERICA LATINA URL at http://groups.google.es/group/sica-america-latina
and follow the instructions, or send e-mail to: sica-america-latina@googlegroups.com
• Cuban Urban Agriculture Celebrates a Second SRI Workshop
Following a SRI workshop in November 2007, the National Group of Cuban Urban Agriculture held a second workshop during February 2009 to discuss preliminary results and plan future policy with respect to this new methodology. Ing. Salvador Sanchez of the Institute of Rice Investigations, noted that SRI had forever changed Cuban rice culture by:
- reducing the age of seedlings from 35-40 to 12-15 days
- reducing the time employed between pull/transplant from 12-24 hours to 30 minutes, and
- reducing the number of seedlings per hill, from between 3-5 to one.
He also emphasized the saving in seeds and the possibility, in some cases, to triple the yield.
Dr. Adolfo Rodriguez, Director, Cuban Urban Agriculture, presented the information (see table 1) related to the previous years’ results in several provinces (see Spanish language presentation) before obtaining the group’s consensus to, in 2009, plant a minimum of 0.5 hectares SRI in 140 of Cuba’s 169 municipalities, which includes all of the country's rice producing municipalities.
Dr. Rena Perez also discussed a trial by Mr. Oscar Montavo of “El Pedregal” in Costa Rica to adapt a mechanical transplanting machine to SICA, particularly in terms of planting distance and the use of only one seedling (see Costa Rica SRI page for more information).
2007-2008
• Spanish Language Overview of SICA Now Available
Rena Perez has provided a document in Spanish (El desarrollo del SICA en el mundo) that summarizes SRI (SICA) progress in Cuba and around the world as of 2008. Cuba was the first country in the Americas to start working seriously on SRI, thanks to the initiatives of Dr. Rena Perez, who serves as an advisor on food security for the Ministry of Sugar.
• International Rice Meeting in Havana, June 2008, Reviews SRI (SICA)
The 4th International Rice Meeting convened in Cuba, June 2-6, 2008, and featured a round table on experience with SICA, the Spanish acronym for SRI.
Presentations were made by Marie-Soleil Turmel, a Canadian PhD candidate doing field research on SRI under different soil conditions from a base with the Smithsonian Institution’s Tropical Research Institute in Panama; Lazaro Maquiera from the National Institute of Agriculture Sciences on SICA evaluations at INCA’s rice research center at Los Palacios; Angel Fernandez on the SICA evaluations he has done in Peru and the prospects for SICA spread there; Juan Riambau, chief agronomist with the producer cooperative (CPA) “Camilo Cienfuegos” in western Cuba which started SICA evaluations in 2001 with much success; Dr. Rena Perez, volunteer coordinator for SICA in Cuba, reporting on extension efforts and results; and Dr. Norman Uphoff, Cornell University, with an international overview on SRI spread and impacts. (See trip report by N. Uphoff on the meeting and on two field visits).
• Rena Perez Facilitates Two Workshops in Cuba
On November 21, 2007, Rena Perez facilitated a nationwide Urban Agriculture-sponsored
workshop (see English or Spanish version of workshop report) with
the aim to promote SRI according to the agronomic guidelines for
rice production in her institution. The workshop, which was held in
Havana, included 31 participants from
seven of the 14 provinces. More recently, Dr. Perez has conducted a workshop (Feb. 27, 2008) at the Menelao Mora Cattle Cooperative in the town of La Ruda, San Jose de las Lajas, Havana province.
Dr.
Perez has also produced a number of training materials in Spanish
(see also practical Information below)
for what is called SICA, the Sistema Intensivo de Cultiva Arrocero.
Most recently, she has produced a video
on SICA (SRI) entitled Sistema
Intensivo de Cultiva Arrocero en Cuba. A 14
minute Spanish language video (35.2MB) is
available as well as a longer 36
minute version with English subtitles (76.2 MB).
Workshops
- A second SRI workshop was held by the The National Group of Cuban Urban Agriculture during February 2009 (see also presentation on the group's acitivities)
- A SRI Workshop at the Menelao Mora Cattle Cooperative in the town of La Ruda, San Jose de las Lajas, Havana province, was held on February 27, 2008 (see documentation by Rena Perez)
- SRI
promoted at Urban Agriculture Workshop in Cuba
(La Agricultura Urbana en Cuba promoverá el SICA)
A
nationwide Urban Agriculture Workshop was held November
21, 2007, in Havana, Cuba, with the aim of promoting
SRI within Cuba.
It was agreed that two municipalities in each of Cuba’s
14 provinces will initiate trials beginning with the current
rice planting season in December, 2007. The 31 workshop participants,
who came from across Cuba, included government functionaries,
rice specialists and other interested parties from seven of
the 14 provinces. The
event was chaired by Dr. Adolfo Rodriguez, Director, Cuban
Urban Agriculture (INIFAT); Dr. Luis Alemán, Head of “Popular
Rice”, MINAG; and Dr. Jorge Hernandez, Director, Cuban
Institute of Rice (IIA). (See English or Spanish version of the workshop
report).
Reports
and Articles
(in chronological order)
- Perez, Rena. 2009. Workshop on Irrigation. Report a rice irrigation workshop held at the Institute of Investigations for Irrigation and Drainage, Havana, Cuba, on September 30. 2p (53KB).
- Perez, Rena. 2009. Cuban Urban Agriculture celebrates a second SRI workshop. Report (2/14/09) for CIIFAD SRI Group. 1 p. (pdf)
- Uphoff, Norman T. 2008. Report on SRI/SICA visit to Cuba. May 31-June 8. 11 p. (pdf)
- Perez, Rena. 2008. El desarrollo del SICA en el mundo. http://ciifad.cornell.edu/sri/countries/cuba/cubaymundo08.pdf. 9p. (pdf)
- Álvarez, Leonardo Cuesta. 2007. Priorizan cultivo de arroz. El Habanero (edicion digital). Nov. 23.
- Uphoff, Norman T. 2004. Report
on field research visit to Cuba to assess SRI. July 7-12, 2004. 16 p. (pdf)
- Uphoff, Norman T. 2003. Report
on visit to Cuba. May 25-30, 2003. 9 p. (pdf)
- Experience
in Cuba with the System of Rice Intensification,
a presentation by Rena Perez at the International Conference on
Assessments of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), Sanya,
China, April 1-4, 2002
Practical
Information
- Sistema
Intensivo de Cultivo Arrocena (SICA) bulletins
SRI bulletins in Spanish with practical information on
SRI. The material was adapted for use in Cuba by Dr. Rena
Perez. SICA
bulletin #1 and #2
are currently available.
Videos and Presentations
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