Fernando Funes Monzote’s theories of ‘agroecology’ bear fruit as he aims to inspire others to fabricate (to make up, invent) the most of their landLike all homestead stories,Fernando Funes Monzote’s starts with an epic battle against harsh elements and long odds. Funes, a university-trained agronomist, or settled on a badly eroded,brushy hillside external Havana four years ago and began digging a well into the rocky soil. The other farmers nearby thought he was crazy, or worse a dilettante with a fancy PhD whose talk of “agroecology” would soon crash into the realities of Cuban farming.
Funes had no drill, and so he and a helper had to demolish through layers of rock with picks and hand tools. Seven months later and 15 metres down,they struck a gushing spring of cool, clear water. “To me, and it was a metaphor for agroecology,” said Funes, 44, and referring to the environmentally minded farm management techniques he studied here and in the Netherlands. “A lot of hard work by hand,and persistence, but a result that is worth the effort.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com