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Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 44, 2021
Functions of ecosystemic services in animal husbandry systems in Cuba 1
Scientific Paper
Functions of ecosystemic services in animal husbandry systems in Cuba
Milagros de la Caridad Milera-Rodríguez https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8531-3425
Estación Experimental de Pastos y Forrajes Indio Hatuey, Universidad de Matanzas, Ministerio de Educación Superior, Central España
Republicana, CP 44280, Matanzas, Cuba.
Email: mmilera@ihatuey.cu
Abstract
Objective: To analyze the functions of ecosystemic services in animal husbandry systems for sustainable food
production in Cuba.
Materials and Methods: The current situation of ecosystemic services as components of animal husbandry systems
was analyzed, with priority given to the provisioning ones, such as the soil, species biodiversity, animal genetic
resources, water and energy.
Results: In any food production system, the systemic approach and appraisal about the protection of ecosystemic
services is crucial, because they constitute the motor force for environment protection and human welfare. Although
all the ecosystemic services participate in an important way, the conservation of soil, water and biodiversity is essential
because they are the basis of the pyramid that supports all the ecosystemic resources. There is innovative evidence
in agricultural production systems on agroecological bases that supports the need to change the way of thinking,
inhabiting and moving towards reconversion of conventional systems.
Conclusions: Ecosystemic services are focused from an integrating vision, and it is agroecological management
the one that allows the understanding of their benefits. Agroecology is based on the protection of natural resources
and considers the multidimensionality of systems and interactions, including the human factor and local knowledge,
elements that make food security viable.
Keywords: agroecology, integration, sustainable management
Introduction ecosystems. They comprise soil formation, mainte-
The conception of the food production process nance of biodiversity, carbon sequestration, hydric
from a systemic approach implies the existence regulation, provision of plant and animal genetic
of certain elements, which determine not only resources, among others. They constitute the motor
the performance of the system, but its productive force for environment protection and good living
possibilities. At present, Cuba undergoes a moment (Camacho-Valdez and Ruíz-Luna, 2012).
of great affectations that threaten the development The depletion of available natural resources
of society. In the light of facing the climate change surpasses the regeneration capacity of ecosystems.
and the COVID-19 pandemic, not all the approaches To reverse this process it is necessary to change the
and solutions that were functional before are paradigm of economy, so that the useful life of such
applicable to the current context. resources in the system is prolonged.
In this sense, the soil-air-water-plant-animal- Circular economy is a production and con-
climate-energy relationship cannot be linearly sumption model, which implies sharing, renting,
managed as it has been done until now (investing- reutilizing, repairing, renovating and recycling
producing-consuming-throwing away). The climate existing materials and products to create an add-
change, growth of the world population, soil and ed value. In practice, it means reducing residues
biodiversity deterioration, among others, imply to the minimum. The change to sustainable energy
that other determining factors are considered, leads to only 55 % of the reduction in emissions;
which require other methods of agroecosystem while the remaining 45 % will result from the way
management. of making and using the products and the form of
Ecosystemic services (ES) have a close corre- producing food and administering the land. That is,
spondence with the soil-air-water-plant-animal-cli- from the circular economy that is implemented for
mate-energy relationship in animal husbandry the benefit of the planet (Ingrassia, 2019).
Received: January 13, 2021
Accepted: August 16, 2021
How to cite a paper: Milera-Rodríguez Milagros de la Caridad. Functions of ecosystemic services in animal husbandry systems in Cuba. Pastos y Forrajes. 44:eI22,
2021.
This is an open access article distributed in Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
The use, distribution or reproduction is allowed citing the original source and authors.Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 44, 2021
2 Milagros de la Caridad Milera-Rodríguez
The best agricultural system that could and purification of residual waters, pest and di-
face future challenges is the one based on the sease control, crop pollination, reduction of da-
agroecological principles that exhibit high diversity mages caused by natural catastrophes.
and resilience levels, and at the same time it 4. Cultural services. They are non-material values
offers reasonable yields and ecosystemic services. or benefits, which are obtained from the ecosys-
Agroecology intends to restore the landscapes that tems through personal or spiritual enrichment,
surround farms, which enriches the ecological cognitive development, nature enjoyment and
matrix and its ecosystemic services, such as natural aesthetic pleasures offered by ecosystems. They
pest control and water and soil conservation, among are inspirers of cultural, religious and intellec-
others (Altieri and Nicolls, 2020). tual diversity. The ecosystems reflect the formal
Taking into consideration the situation the world and informal education of a society and consti-
is going through, related to facing the pandemic and tute a source of inspiration for art, folklore, na-
the climate change, and in view of the emergency tional and regional symbols; architecture and
to produce food, knowing and adequately using publicity. The natural patrimony is part of the
ES is an opportunity that, in the medium and long patrimony of many societies. So much so that
term, allows the construction of more resilient and many people spend their free time with nature,
sustainable systems. The objective of this study is due to the recreational ecotourism services it
to analyze the functions of ecosystemic services in offers, besides the fact that in itself it constitutes
animal husbandry systems for food production in a the laboratory for experimentation and increase
sustainable way in Cuba. of scientific knowledge.
Materials and Methods Ecosystem services could be classified into
several groups, according to the point of view from
From the revision of more than 100 scientific
which they are observed. Freshwater, for example,
papers published in internationally prestigious da-
could be within the four service types.
tabases, the current situation of ecosystemic servic-
Apart from the ES concept, there is a wide
es, as components of animal husbandry systems,
discussion about the concept of payment for
was analyzed. The topics of provisioning, such as
ecosystem or environmental services (PES),
soil, species biodiversity, animal genetic resources,
discussion that has gone beyond the academic
water and energy, were given priority.
borders and has become an important instrument of
Results and Discussion public policy, of great influence in several countries
Ecosystemic services. ES have been defined as of Latin America and the Caribbean.
environmental services that people obtain from na- There are three arguments that criticize the
ture. They are manifested in the form of values or PES:
goods and services (Arenas, 2017). Although they 1. It is an anthropocentric definition, instead of re-
are four, one of them sustains the remaining three, cognizing the intrinsic value of nature.
called support ecosystemic services: 2. It understands conservation as a means to an
1. Support services. They are necessary for the pro- end, to produce incomes that serve the interest
duction of all the other ecosystemic services: nu- of human beings, and not as an end in itself.
trient and seed dispersal and recycling, primary 3. It could be utilized as a mechanism based on pro-
production, habitat, diversity conservation. perty rights, which could give rise to a general
2. Provisioning or supply services. They are pro- privatization of open access resources, such as
ducts obtained from the ecosystem: food, water, water and air.
biotic raw materials, construction materials, geo- In spite of the above-referred theoretical objec-
tic materials, renewable fuels, genetic resources, tions, the payment has been applied in developed
ornamental resources, biochemical resources for and developing countries that try to fight climate
different pharmacological and medicinal uses. change (Eslava, 2017).
3. Regulation services. It comprises the benefits All ES are important, but the provisioning ones
obtained from the regulation of the ecosystem have an influential role on the products that can be
processes and make life possible. The improve obtained from ecosystems and, in which the soil is
air quality, carbon capture and storage, climate the pyramid basis. At moments of climate emergen-
regulation, water cycle regulation, erosion con- cy it is important to know their functions and how
trol, maintenance, soil fertility, waste recycling to contribute to their protection.Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 44, 2021
Functions of ecosystemic services in animal husbandry systems in Cuba 3
Soil. The soil is a finite and non-renewable • It constitutes a biodiversity reserve. The large
natural resource, which provides diverse services. number of organisms that live in it turn it into
Among them is the one related to its participation in source of biodiversity.
the biogeochemical cycles of key elements for life, • It is a deposit of the geological and archeologi-
which continuously and due to the available energy, cal patrimony.
pass from living systems to the non-living compo- • It constitutes the physical and cultural environ-
nents of the planet. According to Burbano-Orjuela ment of mankind.
(2016), the soil serves as basis to human activities In 2015, the Institute of Soils conducted
and is an element of the landscape and cultural pat- agrochemical studies in the main animal husbandry
rimony. Because of the environmental services it enterprises of Cuba, which represent 12 % of the
provides and promotes for the benefit of people, it area dedicated to animal husbandry, from which
acquires the category of social good. 25 % was sampled. The highest milk and meat
The world report about the situation of soil production of the country corresponds to them,
states that erosion, loss of organic carbon and unbal- and they also have the highest concentration of
ance of its nutrients, constitute, at global scale, the cattle stock. The analysis indicated that 90,6 % of
most significant threats that affect the performance the utilizable agricultural area in these enterprises
of its functions. All indicates that the situation will was affected by one or more limiting factors: 45 %
worsen, unless the private sector, governments and with low natural fertility, 30 % with little effective
international organizations take agreed and right depth, which reduces the water and nutrient volume
actions towards sustainable soil management (FAO, available for the root system; 20,5 % with low water
2016). retention capacity, among the most important ones
In Cuba, 71,2 % of the soils are distributed in (Lok-Mejías, 2016).
the categories from little to very little productivity, In spite of the above-explained facts, in a narrow
and are affected by limiting edaphic factors, which and long island, without great natural richness,
prevent reaching potential yields (CITMA, 2020). it is necessary to accelerate the delivery of lands
Burbano-Orjuela (2016) classifies the agroproduc- that remain idle for producing food. According to
tive categories of soils into: Figueredo-Reinaldo et al. (2019), in Cuba, in 2017,
1. Soils that allow crops to express more than 70 % the idle areas occupied 917 299 ha, with one third of
of their potential them available to be delivered to farmers for their
cultivation, which would imply giving priority to
2. Soils that allow between 51 and 70 % of their
the soil and water protection.
potentialities
Soil management is significantly important
3. Soils that admit between 30 and 50 % in the system properties and the components
4. Soils that achieve only up to 30 % of the poten- and processes that serve as basis for the services
tial they have offered by the soil. Among the most utilized
The soil, as resource, fulfills the following tasks: management practices to improve soil functions are
minimum tillage, manual weeding, application of
• It participates in the production of food and bio-
organic and mineral fertilizers and green manures;
mass. From the soil, in direct or indirect form,
besides the use of composting and earthworm
more than 95 % of the world food population
humus, association of multipurpose forage woody
results. Nevertheless, its degradation is a major
plants to naturalized and cultivated grasses in the
problem that threatens food production in the
paddocks (SPS), intensive rational grazing (IRG),
planet.
among others. All these practices can contribute
• It stores or fixes C. It constitutes the largest significantly to promote changes in the services
provider of C in nature (the C stored in the first supplied to the ecosystem.
meter of soil is 1,5 times higher than the one ac- With the management of the VRG (high
cumulated in the vegetation). stocking rates and necessary resting time for
• It stores and filters water. recovery) a high deposition of feces and urine in
• It is the support of human activities and source the grazing areas is achieved, between 29,2 and
of raw materials. On the soil industrial activities 56,9 t of excreta/ha/year (Huerta et al., 2018;
are carried out, residential zones are built, roads Domínguez-Escudero, 2020), which positively
and other civil works are constructed. increases nutrient recycling in the system. ThePastos y Forrajes, Vol. 44, 2021
4 Milagros de la Caridad Milera-Rodríguez
edaphic biota plays a determinant role here, by Agriculture Fundamental Research Institute Ale-
using the excreta as microhabitat and contributing jandro de Humboldt stand out; besides the fertilizer
to the decomposition process (Pinheiro-Machado, Agromenas-G, of the Mineral-Metal Industry Re-
2016). In studies conducted in Cuba, with intensive search Center and IHPLUS® BF, of the Pastures and
management and high instantaneous stocking rates Forages Research Station Indio Hatuey.
in grass monoculture, an annual deficit of nutrients Another alternative to improve soil properties
of only 2 and 9 kg/ha of N and P, with positive is the use of biochars, produced from recycling cut-
balance of K (Crespo, 2018). tings and pruning of forage trees aimed at animal
Domínguez-Escudero (2020), in a VRG system feeding and of invasive weeds. They, when enriched
in Panama, found that the system recycled 256,0; with IHPLUS® BF and the substrates obtained from
74,0 and 93,0 kg of N, P, K respectively, higher val- its mixture with compost, allow to broaden the pos-
ues than the ones reported with mineral fertilizers sibilities of restoring the soil and nourishing plants
in systems without irrigation in Cuba, correspond- (Díaz-Solares et al., 2020; Pentón-Fernández et al.,
ing to the last third of the 20th century. 2020).
The soil organisms contribute, in turn, fun- Water. Freshwater ecosystems and tropical for-
damental services for the sustainability of all the ests are the most biodiverse environments of the
ecosystems. They constitute the main agent of the world. They contribute considerably to the supply
nutrient cycle, regulate the dynamics of the soil of ecosystemic services through ecological pro-
organic matter, carbon retention and emission of cesses. However, the progressive loss of biodiversi-
greenhouse gases (GHG); besides, they modify the ty causes these ecosystems to be more vulnerable,
material structure of the soil and water regimes and affecting their adaptation capacity.
improve the quantity and efficacy of the nutrient ac- The vertiginous growth in water consumption,
quisition of the vegetation, as well as plant health. at world scale, is due to three main causes:
VRG management, without chemical fertilizers 1. Industrial development.
and with high instantaneous rate, promotes species 2. Population growth. It is estimated that, towards
biodiversity and high excreta discharge, which fa- 2025, there will be 2 500 million people more
vors the appearance of the groups that make up the than today, whom will have to be supplied and
macrofauna (especially, Oligochaeta), and which fed.
contribute to burying the organic matter, improve 3. Expansion of irrigation agriculture. From 50
soil structure and porosity and decrease by 35,5 % million ha, irrigated at the beginning of last
the quantity of insects (Sánchez et al., 1997). century, more than 250 million are irrigated at
Martín-Martín et al. (2019) evaluated several present.
farms with different soil uses and observed diverse There is a close relation among water, agricul-
responses in the functional groups of the edaphic ture and energy. Agriculture is the largest water
biota (detritivores, engineers, herbivores, predators) consumer, and represents 70 % of its extractions
depending on the system. The detritivores were throughout the world. Industry and energy together
found to be most abundant, significantly, in the represent 20 % of its demand. The most developed
farm that had silvopastoral systems, due to the high countries have a much higher proportion of fresh-
availability and quality of the tree litter, humidity water extractions for the industry than the least
and lower disturbance. developed countries, in which agriculture prevails
Besides the application of organic fertilizers, (ONU-DAES, 2014).
compost, intercropping of legumes, green manures, In Cuba, utilizable water resources are evalu-
among others, an alternative for the improvement ated, approximately, in 24 000 million m3 per year,
the functions of soils aimed at animal husbandry and 75 % correspond to surface waters and 25 %
is the utilization of diverse inoculants, produced to underground ones. Most of the provinces have
by different scientific institutions with excellent re- hydric stress values over 50 %, for which special
sults in seed production areas and in forage areas. attention should be paid to the policy of rational
Among the inoculants Biofer® and Fosfori- use of water resources, if the influence of climate
na , produced by the Soil Institute, Azofert-F® and
®
change is taken into consideration (González-Pie-
EcoMic®, of the National Institute of Agricultur- dra and Domínguez-Pastrana, 2019).
al Sciences; Nitrofix®, of the National Sugarcane The available water resources from the hydrau-
Research Institute; Dimargon®, of the Tropical lic infrastructure amount to 13 904 million m3. ThePastos y Forrajes, Vol. 44, 2021
Functions of ecosystemic services in animal husbandry systems in Cuba 5
development of such infrastructure in Cuba allows supply, for which in contributes to subsistence
to place 58 % of the utilizable resources at the dis- means and economic development to achieve
posal of economic, social and environmental de- sustainable development goals.
mands. The current infrastructure has 242 dams, Among the most important challenges faced by
which store a little more than 9 000 million m3. To the world are biodiversity conservation and sustain-
them 58 diversion dams, 729 micro-dams, 810,95 km able use. According to Sarandón (2009), agriculture
of master channels, 16 large pumping stations and is the main activity in the change of land use, which
1 400,1 km of dikes, are added. In the last decade, has transformed ecosystems into agroecosystems.
the water volume annually delivered for all uses os- In Cuba, the loss of biological diversity is acknowl-
cillated between 6 000 and 8 000 million m3. More edged as one of the environmental problems that
than half was used in agricultural productions (CIT- affect the country. There are different causes that
MA, 2020), mainly in the cultivation of rice (40 % of increase biodiversity loss: overexploitation of agri-
the needs). Nevertheless, in animal husbandry, ap- cultural areas, contamination, habitat loss, invasive
proximately 0,7 million cattle travel to other plac- exotic species and climate change.
es each year during the dry season, searching for Regarding agrobiodiversity, Nieto-Rodríguez
water supply sources; while thousands of animals (2017) reviews its classification and its relation to
receive the water in tankers, for which water sup- ecosystemic services. She classifies thus the com-
ply is a strong and significant electricity and fuel ponents of agrobiodiversity: planned, associated
consumer in this productive sector, which makes it and surrounding diversity.
vulnerable with regards to the fluctuations of their Planned diversity refers to the crops subject
availability and price. In 2020 the act about water to deliberated incorporation and specific manage-
supply to the animals was passed, which regulates ment. Associated diversity comprises the wild flora
the quantities to be supplied per category in cattle and fauna sustained by the farm, which colonizes
(Ministerio de Justicia, 2020). the agroecosystems after they have been structured
Another important aspect, to which no due at- by the farmer; it includes all the wild species relat-
tention has been paid either, is rainwater capture, ed to domesticated species, which can be crossed
which is easy to obtain for human consumption and and contribute to the genetic reserve of their crops,
agricultural use. Like every system, it shows advan- besides surviving autonomously and fighting pests
tages and disadvantages. Among its advantages it and diseases of the crops. The surrounding diver-
can be cited that it is not subject to interruptions in sity includes the wild species that emerge from
the supply network, reduces runoff and erosion and natural communities and which, in turn, are part of
its availability is independent from public service another agroecosystem, benefit agricultural envi-
companies; besides decreasing mosquito breeding ronments through the provision, protection, shade
sites. The water is pure and soft by nature, free for and regulation of underground water.
those who collect it, free from chlorine and byprod- In Cuba several plant formations have been
ucts and pesticides, among others of its benefits. As described. In general, they can be grouped into
disadvantages it is known that it is not controlla- forests, scrubs, herbaceous vegetation, vegetation
ble during drought, that it can be contaminated by complexes and secondary vegetation, where about
animals, organic matters and atmospheric contam- 50 % of the vascular plants and 42 % of the terres-
inants. Cisterns increase construction costs, which trial vertebrates of the world inhabit, concentrated
constitutes a limitation for low-resource families, around 2,3 % of the terrestrial surface of the planet.
and if they are not protected the presence of mos- Insects, followed by fungi and plants (angiosperms
quitoes can be induced (Torres-Hugues, 2019). and gymnosperms), represent 76 % of the known
Species diversity. The term biodiversity refers Cuban terrestrial biodiversity (Mancina and Cruz,
to the plurality of living organisms that inhabit 2017).
the planet at all levels. Biodiversity is classified as For feeding cattle in Cuba there is a richness
genetic, of species and of ecosystems. The set of of endemic species from the legume family, which
those aggregates and complements integrate the have acceptable nutritional value. However, among
biosphere (OCREZ, 2014). Biological diversity grasses, the species of the endemic flora have little
sustains the functioning of ecosystems and provides forage or nutritional value, which has served as ba-
essential services for human welfare. It guarantees sis to organize the research program aimed at the
food security, human health, air and freshwater introduction, evaluation and utilization of foragePastos y Forrajes, Vol. 44, 2021
6 Milagros de la Caridad Milera-Rodríguez
and pasture species, for their utilization in the ani- T. diversifolia, stand out, besides other species of
mal husbandry development program of the island native herbaceous legumes and other cultivars
(Blanco-Godínez et al., 2017). More than 5 000 cul- of different species, which do not constitute
tivars have been evaluated in this program executed collections.
by different scientific institutions of the country. At present, Cuba has more than 30 certified
The period 2000-2010 was characterized by species. In total, more than 80 can be used for
continuous decrease and lack of areas of cultivat- different purposes in livestock feeding or recovery
ed pastures and forages, as a result of the lack of of animal husbandry soils. Nevertheless, to promote
fertilizers, inadequate pasture enclosing of the are- them it is necessary to rehabilitate or replace the
as, and of the scarcity of fuel for making hays and current ones, because in the case of cultivated
silages, which propitiated continuous overgrazing grasses under grazing conditions, it is estimated
and deterioration of such areas, along with the poor that they do not exceed 16 %.
achievement of new plantings and of pastureland It is known that a pasture is degraded when
rehabilitation. it has experienced a considerable decrease of its
The limitation in input imports generated min- potential productivity and of the covered area
imum dependence on them, and higher self-suf- under certain edaphoclimatic and biotic conditions.
ficiency was achieved with regards to previous In this sense there are methods for its recovery,
periods. In 2008, only approximately 16 % of the renovation, rehabilitation and maintenance.
areas had cultivated pastures and 39 % was occu- Rehabilitation is the restitution of the produc-
pied by Dichrostachys cinerea. In the agrotechnical tive capacity of a pasture until reaching acceptable
management of pastures only the planting of grass technical-economic levels, taking as basis the pop-
forage areas for cutting, mainly sugarcane and king ulation of desirable species present in the pasture.
grass, was given priority (Milera-Rodríguez, 2011). It assumes that there are still one or more desirable
In the period 2010-2020, woody protein plants species in sufficient population (50-60 %) so as to
(Morus alba L., Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. justify that they are stimulated, preserved and com-
Gray, Moringa oleifera Lam, mainly) were given plemented. There are different labors, according to
priority, but not the planting of locally adapted pas- the soil type and species.
tures and forages, and the invasion of D. cinerea Renovation is the total restitution of the pasture
continued in more than 30 % of the areas dedicated through the elimination of the existing vegetation and
to grazing. This proved that in animal husbandry planting a new one. It assumes that the desirable species
the problem is not solved with campaigns, but with have disappeared, or that their population is so low that
soil protection and availability of diverse herba- its rehabilitation is not worthy (less than 40 %).
ceous and tree plant genetic resources, according The maintenance works are periodically applied, so
to regionalization, which contribute to cover ani- that the crop does not have affectations in its population,
mal requirements, and which are resilient to climate production and quality.They are practiced in cutting
change. In current animal husbandry, the loss of forage banks and include earthing up, fertilization,
biological diversity is acknowledged as one of the manual or mechanized weeding, replanting of parts
environmental problems that affect the entire coun- of the depopulated plots, among others (Milera-
try. Most of the species, of high productivity and Rodríguez, et al., 2017).
fragility, are subject to adverse climate conditions, Pastureland renovation, as well as the estab-
to the geographical location and to insularity and lishment of new areas, is not possible without the
high degree of geographical isolation. production of specialized seed, as it occurs with
Plant species for livestock feeding. The scientific other crops.
centers that are dedicated to the study of livestock In the case of grasses with gamic reproduction,
feeding and management in Cuba have collections of seed production demands that a group of requisites
different pasture species, such as forage, herbaceous are fulfilled in order to obtain a quality product,
and woody plants. Among pastures and forages the practicing good soil preparation, as well as
most representative ones are Megathyrsus maximus fulfilling the technical regulations during planting,
(Jacqs.) B.K. Simon & S.W.L. Jacobs, Cenchrus harvest, processing, drying, storage and packaging.
purpureus (Schumach.) Morrone, Urochloa sp., The production areas are fertilized with mineral or
Cynodon sp. and Saccharum officinarum L. Within the organic fertilizers, according to the requirements of
woody plants L. leucocephala, M. alba, M. oleifera, the species.Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 44, 2021
Functions of ecosystemic services in animal husbandry systems in Cuba 7
In the processing, conservation and storage Similar strategies were followed with sheep,
process, there are methods that should not be vi- goats, rabbits, horses and pigs and many bird spe-
olated. When a grass seed field consistently reduc- cies were introduced, which include hens of high
es it yields, it should be subject to a rejuvenation egg- and meat-producing lines. In different periods,
process. Although there are seed production tech- 2 984 buffaloes of the Swamp and River breeds,
nologies in Cuba (Pérez-Vargas et al., 2019) for spe- were imported. All that introduced gene pool is
cialized production and at large scale, funding for maintained almost entirely and constitutes an an-
initial investments is needed, besides maintaining imal genetic resource (OCREZ, 2014).
production in a stable and sustainable way. How- The herds with Holando genotype, although of
ever, it is possible to produce seeds at small scale, higher production level, showed higher production
mainly in the form of specific seed banks. costs in feeding, health and others. Under the rear-
Animal genetic resources. Almost all the mam- ing conditions the studies were conducted in Cuba,
mal and bird species present in Cuba, which are the genotype with low crossbreeding level was the
used for food and agriculture, were inexistent when one that provided higher cost-effectiveness (Agui-
the colonizers arrived in the Island. In general, 16 lar et al., 2004). These analyses indicate the need
500 species are known. Among them, 42 species of of coherence between genetic transformations and
mammals, 350 birds, 121 reptiles, 46 amphibians, environmental and productive conditions, because
7 493 insects, 1 300 arachnids and 2 900 mollusks, in the crossings not only productive yield is impor-
stand out (Hernández-González, 2015). tant, but the economic effect of the productive per-
The Spaniards introduced most of the species formance and other adaptive traits, especially with
that, after more than 500 years, are called locally the current climate changes.
adapted or creole species, as in the case of Creole Energy
cattle, Creole Pelibuey sheep, Creole goat, Creole
The flow of solar energy on earth is the key that
pig, and Cubalaya Creole chicken, among others.
determines the production of organic substances,
Creole is a naturalized cattle breed, with more
and photosynthesis is the process through which
than 500 years, descendant from Bos indicus, and has
photochemical energy is transformed into stable
three varieties: Carirubio, Carinegro and Mezclado. It
was used as mother breed in the formation of crossed biochemical compounds, and which can be car-
genotypes, aiming at increasing beef production ried out only by green plants. The energy stored by
(Crimousin genotypes, from the crossing with plants allows the development of all the other or-
Limousine, (3/4 Limousin x 3/4 Creole), and also milk ganisms (consumers and decomposers) and follows
production in the crossings with Holstein, from which a flow in the food chain (García-Trujillo, 1996). If
Taíno de Cuba was obtained (5/8 Holstein x 3/8 Creole). the plants or other producers of an ecosystem were
In the period 1900-1959, some breeds were eliminated, there would be no way in which ener-
introduced. In the case of cattle, Charolais, Zebu gy could enter the trophic network and the ecolog-
and Santa Gertrudis; also some pig breeds and, ical community would collapse. This is due to the
among birds, Leghon and Rhode Island breeds. fact that energy is not recycled, but dissipated as
From 1964 to 1977, more than 46 thousand heat, by moving through the ecosystem, and that it
animals of different breeds were imported, after should be constantly replaced.
the program continued with bulls born in Cuba. According to Godio (2001), in animal husband-
The crossing scheme contemplated, in a first ry systems the components and nutritional relations
stage, the absorption of the Holstein breed through that affect the losses in the system, specifically
the selection of better adapted animals, and in a in the management of feeding, are highly impor-
second stage, the formation of new breeds, which tant. These relations are: structural carbohydrate/
conjugated the specialized mothers and the rusticity non-structural carbohydrate (fibers-concentrate
of the local breed. The types were Siboney de Cuba feed), protein/energy, degradable protein/non-de-
(62,5 % Holstein and 37,5 % Zebu) and Mambí de gradable protein and balance of carbohydrates in
Cuba (75 % Holstein and 25 % Zebu), aimed at milk the feedstuffs (biological value). The development
production. Experimenting has also been done with of high-quality energy reserves (grains, forage re-
other breed lines for dairy (Suiza Parda, Ayrshhire, serves) should be enhanced, deposit energy reserves
Jersey) and beef cattle (Charolais Cubana, Santa (supplements) should be used, materials should be
Getrudis and Criolla) (Aguilar et al., 2004). recycled, control mechanisms should be organizedPastos y Forrajes, Vol. 44, 2021
8 Milagros de la Caridad Milera-Rodríguez
that allow adaptation and stability and exchanges unique strategy that allows the resilience of feeding
should be established with other systems to supply systems, and return to agroecological practices of
the system (specialized production, integrated sys- nutrient cycle closure at local and regional scale,
tems). as a way to be freed from the disaster of the world
The efficiency of energy utilization is noted ecosystem.
when the farm activities are adequately organized. Acknowledgements
Irrigation should not be performed with high tem-
The author thanks the Pastures and Forages Re-
peratures, and in the case of the use of non-renewa-
search Station Indio Hatuey for providing the nec-
ble energy, low-consumption machinery should be
essary funding for the research.
used. It is necessary to install biodigesters in the
anaerobic fermentation of excreta, so that they can Bibliographic references
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