Drought and hurricanes are the greatest climate challenges for small farmers in Cuba, who are reducing the impact of disaster through preventive measures, technology, and cultivating crops that require less water. “Planting the platano between July and August helps to reduce damage from tropical cyclones, more frequent in Septeber and October, because the plants are still small. In the following June I can already have my harvest,” Julio Torres, a farmer outside the central city of Santa Clara, told Tierramérica.

Torres also protects his land against fire, most frequent in this time of year when rain is scarce. “I always make a firebreak trench with the tractor,” he explained. This and other steps against disasters in rural areas were implemented beginning Feb. 28 in all Cuban provinces.