AGROECOLOGICAL PEST MANAGEMENT IN THE URBAN AGRICULTURE. CASE STUDY HAVANA CITY, CUBA

Abstract

The urban agriculture in Cuba has become an important source of production of vegetables and other fresh agricultural products that is carried out inside the cities and in its periphery, by means of diverse culture systems of well-known as “organopónicos” and other orchards, where the employment of synthetic pesticides is not allowed. A study was made during the years 2003-2005 in municipalities and representative production systems of the main horticultural crops, that have been developed in the urban and periurban agriculture of the Havana city, by means of a process of participative research to characterize the pest management. We provided that the farmers have carried out innovations to adopt diverse agroecological practices, mainly the management of the floristic diversity, agronomic management of cultivations and biological control, all at level of the production system, what confers a systemic focus. They stand out for their acceptance for the farmers the rotations and the associations of cultivations, the barriers of corn and other plants, use of repellent plants, the live enclosed in the periphery with diverse purposes, the development of natural enemies’ reservoirs, the biopesticides applications and the elaboration and application of botanical preparations, among others.