ʻO ka poʻe mahiʻai a mākou i hālāwai ai ma Cuba he 50 ko lākou mau makahiki a ua hoʻololi i ka ʻoihana, e like me ka hoʻololi ʻana mai nā limahana hana a i ʻole nā luna Communist Party i nā mahiʻai. Hoʻolilo ka poʻe mahiʻai kūʻai pololei i kekahi o nā kālā maikaʻi loa i ka hoʻokele waiwai mākeke Cuban, a me he mea lā ua huki ʻia ka poʻe iā ia no nā kumu kālā. ʻO ka hapa nui o nā kīhāpai he hoʻoikaika hui, me ʻekolu mau māla manawa piha.
ʻO ka pilina ma waena o kēia mau mahiʻai a me ke aupuni Cuban he mea hoihoi loa. Ke puka mālie nei ʻo Cuba mai kahi hoʻokele waiwai i hoʻolālā ʻia. ʻO kēia mau mahiʻai kekahi o nā ʻoihana pilikino mua i ʻae ʻia ma ka ʻāina. Akā he kuleana nui ka moku'āina, kahi i mahalo nui ʻia e ka poʻe mahiʻai.
Ua ʻike ʻia ua hoʻomaka ʻia nā mahiʻai ma ka manaʻo pākahi, me ka hoʻomaʻemaʻe ʻia ʻana o nā ʻāpana kūlanakauhale i hoʻohana ʻole ʻia i ka wā kaʻawale, ʻoiai e hana ana nā mea kanu ma nā wahi ʻē aʻe. I ka wā i loaʻa ai ke kumu, ua loaʻa i nā mea kanu kā lākou ʻoihana mua mai ka mokuʻāina - ʻo nā mea e like me nā moena hoʻokiʻekiʻe ʻia, ka lepo e hoʻopiha ai iā lākou (ka wai wai composted a i ʻole bagasse sugarcane) a me ka irrigation.
ʻAʻole i hoʻolako ʻia nā mea hana a me nā mea hana ʻē aʻe e ka mokuʻāina a ua kahiko loa. ʻOiai kaumaha, leʻaleʻa ka ʻike ʻana i ka hana ʻana o ka poʻe mahiʻai, a ʻike mākou i kekahi mau manaʻo maʻemaʻe.
Me he mea lā he polokalamu Extension kōkua nui ʻo Cuba. Ua kipa ʻia nā mea kanu a pau a mākou i hālāwai ai i hoʻokahi pule e kekahi luna mahiʻai, nāna i manaʻo i nā ʻano ʻano like ʻole a hoʻolako i nā mea kanu lāʻau. Ma kahi ʻaoʻao, ua hoʻolilo nui ʻo Cuba i ka aʻo ʻana e pili ana i nā biopesticides a me nā biofertilizers. Ua mahalo ka poʻe mea kanu i nā mea inoculants microbial i hāʻawi ʻia iā lākou. No ke kōkua, kauoha ka moku'āina e kūʻai aku kēlā me kēia mahiʻai i kekahi pākēneka o kāna huahana i nā mea kūʻai i koho ʻia ma nā kumukūʻai ma lalo o ka mākeke: nā halemai, nā makuahine hou a me nā kula, no ka laʻana. He mau koi ʻē aʻe paha kā mākou i ʻohi ʻole ai.
ʻAʻole i hoʻopilikia ʻia ka poʻe mea kanu i nā kauoha a ka mokuʻāina, me ka ʻike ʻana iā lākou he kālepa kūpono no ke kōkua i hāʻawi ʻia, a kūʻai maʻamau i ka hui Cuban. I kekahi mau kūlana, me he mea lā ua hoʻonohonoho ka mokuʻāina i nā kumukūʻai hiki ke uku ʻia e ka mea mahiʻai ma ka mākeke ākea. Ua huhū kekahi kanaka mahiʻai i kēia mea a kanikau i ka liʻiliʻi o kāna hana ʻana mai kona mau lā luhi i ka lā.
Nui nā kamaʻilio ma ʻAmelika e pili ana i ka hoʻokumu ʻana i nā ʻōnaehana meaʻai kūloko, ʻoi aku hoʻi ma nā kūlanakauhale me ka mahiʻai kūlanakauhale. Maikaʻi loa ma Cuba ka ʻike ʻana i kahi ʻōnaehana kūlanakauhale no nā mea kanu hou i loko o ka ʻiʻo, ʻaʻole i hānau ʻia mai ka manaʻo akā no ka pono. Ma kēlā me kēia kīhāpai, ʻike mākou i nā kānaka a me nā mea kūʻai nui aku e kūʻai ana i nā hua; e hoʻopiha ka poʻe i loko o nā kaʻa kaʻa a me nā hoki a hele a puni ke kaiāulu e kūʻai aku i nā mea kanu me ka loaʻa kālā. Hoʻolaha pū ʻia kēia ʻōnaehana huahana kūloko ma muli o ka nele o nā ʻenehana pahu hau - pono e hele wikiwiki nā mea kanu mai ke kula a i ka mea kūʻai aku ma 90 ̊ F!
ʻAʻole au makemake e hāʻawi i ka manaʻo e hana ʻia ana nā meaʻai a pau o Cuba ma kahi pānaʻi liʻiliʻi - ua lohe mākou i nā mahiʻai nui a ke aupuni ma ke kuaʻāina e hana ana i ke kō o ka ʻāina, nā pī a me nā meaʻai ʻē aʻe me ka hoʻohana ʻana i nā ʻano hana maʻamau, a me nā mea kanu. no ka poe makaikai. Akā mai nā mea a mākou i ʻike ai, hāʻawi nā māla kūloko i nā Cubans me nā mea kanu hou.
Manaʻo wau ua lawe wau i kahi kiʻi hoihoi o nā mea aʻu i ʻike ai a lohe ai ma Cuba, akā i loko o kahi kolamu pōkole ua manaʻo wau ʻaʻole like me ka hana o ka kamaʻilio ʻana i ka mahanahana ākea, ka ʻakaʻaka a me ka ʻimi ʻimi o ka poʻe mahiʻai i hālāwai ai me koʻu kaikunāne. He poʻe lokomaikaʻi lākou me ka ʻinoʻino ʻole iā mākou ma ke ʻano he poʻe ʻAmelika. Ua ʻōlelo ʻiʻo nui kekahi mea kanu i ko mākou mau kau ʻākau malū, me ke kanikau ʻana i ka wela a puni ka makahiki e hoʻopau ai i kāna mau mea kanu.
“Laki loa ʻoe. ʻOi aku ka maʻalahi o ka mahiʻai iā ʻoe ma ʻAmelika, "wahi āna. "Me he mea lā e hele ana ʻoe i ka mahiʻai me ka ea hoʻoluʻu."
"ʻOiaʻiʻo," haʻi wau iā ia. "A hiki i ka huli ʻana o ka ea i loko o ka paʻukū i Nowemapa."
Nui nā mea e aʻo mai ai kekahi i kekahi.
- Sam Hitchcock Tilton, mea kākau VGN