Arriving at the Ovidio Proenza Bautista farm located in the “Los Proenzas” neighborhood, 3 kilometers from the municipal seat, Buenaventura, in the Holguin municipality of Calixto García, is to appreciate a true jewel, as he himself expressed with satisfaction.
“…This plot is my “favorite jewel”, I have been taking care of it since 1970. When I started working as a teacher, I dedicated my free time to it, first helping my father and after his death I inherited it, I have never stopped working on it and to get benefits from it…”
This retiree from the sports sector, Villito, as this industrious farmer is known, walks 3 kilometers day after day from Buenaventura, where he lives, to his plot and three kilometers back to keep the two roses in an excellent state of cleanliness and organization. extent that his farm has, working only part-time and without an assistant of any kind, demonstrating that with sacrifice, dedication and effort, what man sets out to achieve is obtained.
“…I have always liked to do things well, as you can see here the only weed that proliferates is the basarillo, because it is difficult to kill, the rest I take care that they do not prosper and I am always on top of them, for That's why everything I have planted is very clean and in good condition, because the downpours of the last few months have fertilized the land well and that has helped me to obtain good yields in the crops..."
Upon arriving at the Villito's "favorite jewel", the visitor is impressed by everything that this tireless farmer has planted, already 73 years old, but with an enviable vitality due to his energy and strength to work the land.
“…Right now I have planted two cassava tips from different times, sweet potato, and I have rescued the yam, which is a crop that has been lost, also a very productive mushroom, where I intersperse some root banana races and several seedlings of banana, which is also an important food. So far this year I have already harvested melons, beans, squash and peanuts, among other crops, and I maintain a large number of fruit plants such as mango, with a good harvest this year, coconut, fruta bomba, anon, and I have dedicated a portion of land to a small forest with important species such as the Bijagua and the Baría, among others…”
The productions that Ovidio refers to have as their essential objective the self-consumption of his family but he also shows solidarity with the neighborhood and gives everything he can to help them with food. Before my removal from Ovidio Proenza Bautista's plot, at the stroke of noon and with the intense heat that characterizes these summer days, he wanted to leave a message to our people.
“…I want to urge everyone who has a small portion of land, in a patio, a plot or a farm, no matter how small it may be, to plant it, to take care of it so that they see that the results are impressive, they will not be You may be afraid of working in the fields, because it is where wealth comes from, if we all contribute, the needs we will have will be less, in these difficult times that we live in..."
I left "The jewell” of Villito, his excellent plot, convinced that it is important that everyone who can, give their contribution to the production of food so that together we can contribute to solving the food situation that we Cubans are going through and convinced with this example that when there is love and dedication there are results in what the man proposes.
