Santiago de Cuba, June 25 (ACN) Experts from the Ministries of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA) and Agriculture (MINAG), as well as the National Institute of Water Resources (INRH), today warned of the impact of climate change on Cuban agriculture, which can also be felt in the Caribbean countries. .
In the presence of officials and businessmen from Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Gambia and Cuba, who attended the International Expocaribe, they presented the experiences and works of the largest Antilles in facing the dangers, weaknesses and risks due to this phenomenon, and how to bear the necessary mitigation and adaptation.
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Science Ph.D. Ida Ines Pedroso Herrera, of the Environmental Agency’s Institute of Geophysics and Astronomy (CITMA), noted the effects of climate change on the loss of land surface area arising due to sea level increase, a decrease in water resources and agricultural yields and the increasing vulnerability of human settlements in coastal areas.
After highlighting the studies that have been conducted and the plans at the state level – whether community or people’s councils – aimed at preventing and reducing these dangers, he emphasized as work goals to improve and increase knowledge of their scenarios, to propose effective measures, including with a view to the years 2050 and 2100 .
She and Yamilé Lamothe Crespo, Deputy Director of Science, Technology, Innovation and Environment at MINAG, agreed that due to its proximity and similar natural conditions to other Caribbean islands, some climate change research and adaptation measures could be beneficial in the entire region.
The specialist has said widely that drought, reduced water availability, sea level behavior and increased temperatures are already having an impact on the soil, on agriculture, and thus on food production, as well as on coastal ecosystems. open.
He noted that Cuba has a national program to mitigate risks and anticipated risks, known as the Life Task, and also has a program for sustainable agriculture and food security, especially when the agricultural scenario or balance is also unfavorable, as evidenced by that 70% of its soils have one limiting factor on the least.
Explaining the situation with regard to Cuban water resources, Argelio Fernandez Richelmi, Director of Hydrology at the National Institute of Water Resources of Cuba, stated that the biggest incidents of climate change are manifested in the quantitative availability of water, in the occurrence of extreme events and in the deterioration. For the quality of this natural resource.
He explained how the state, for the necessary adaptation (flexibility), is developing a set of measures aimed at reducing water losses through more efficient use, restoring and protecting its quality, searching for new sources of supply, and reducing the impact of floods. .
At the country level, work is underway to reduce the vulnerability of 15 priority areas, including those in southern Artemisa and Mayabeque, aquifers in northern Ciego de Avila and those supplying the city of Manzanillo, as well as the Malecon in Havana.
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