Since its establishment 122 years ago, the Cienfuegos Botanical Garden has had the task of acclimatizing species and introducing them, but today it also contributes to food sovereignty in Cuba.
The initiative is funded by the Project Management Center for Local Development and the Food Security Program.
Thanks to this initiative, nine farms and a territorial state entity received plants with a high protein value for animal and human nutrition. Today, 21 producers in Cienfuegos get seeds and positions from there.
Some of these plants are already grown on farms like “La Isabela” or “Punta la Cueva”, in addition to other mountains in the Guamuhaya Massif, where they are harvested almost all year round due to its not very hot climate.
This project started in April 2022 and provides species that are not well known to producers, such as the Mauritius manzanita (Ziziphus mauritiana) or the jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), both of which have a high protein value for animals. It also gives rise to other better-known ones, such as red mamey, citrus, avocado, or coffee trees.
In the Botanical Garden of Cienfuegos, founded in 1901 and with an area of ​​97 hectares, investments were made for three years in its infrastructure and in the conservation of more than two thousand botanical species, all of high scientific value.
