Aris’ Backyard: A Semi-urban Vegetable Garden of Excellence

Because of its diversification and results, Cuba’s National Urban Agriculture Group granted the double crown of Excellence to the “Patio de Aris” (Aris’ Backyard), a semi-urban vegetable garden that is located in the community Flor de Mayo, in Santa Cruz del Sur, some 82 km south of the city of Camagüey.

There on a one-half hectare, Lázaro Castillo Santos has built up a semi-urban vegetable garden which was named after her daughter who is his right hand and knows all the tricks to keep this backyard.

Castillo suffered a work-related accident causing him a spinal fracture. The injury compelled him to be in bed for more than a year. When he took the fist steps he relied on the support of his family and neighbours who helped him to begin his project.

[He raises African catfishes and Red Tilapias.] With debris of derelict houses down the village, he built ponds where raises African catfishes and Red Tilapias, which are fed with the excrement of those hens that he has put in a henhouse above the pond.

When raising pig is all about, he reuses the wastes the animals create as fuel for a small bio-gas digester. "I manage to get a plan of a fixed-dome biogas plant and using recycled items built the gasholder", he tells. Thanks to the fuel this digester produces, his wife can cook their meals. Besides, he recycles its wastes and uses it as a fertilizer.

In another side of his backyard, this restless man has dedicated an area for semi-protected crops, and all year long he picks up carrot, cabbage, lettuce, Swiss chard, cucumber and beans, produces he distributes free to Junior High School Monte Grande, to the community-based canteen and to operators of sugar cane harvesting machines during the cane-cutting season.

[His biogas digester.] Around his house, Castillo Santos also raises different types of chilli peppers, papaya, mango, avocado and rice. So, in his small piece of land he has managed to develop 18 subprograms of the Urban Agriculture.

His daughter Ariadna just finished the seventh grade, but without neglecting the school, she perfectly knows what to do to keep the backyard and takes part with her father in theoretical events on sustainable agriculture.

Lázaro Castillo Santos battles his back pains, but his love for the land and his sense of belonging to what he has done prevail. So, he is pleased with what the “Patio de Aris” is giving to him and his family.(Radio Cadena Agramonte)