Use of participatory strategic planning in cooperatives of the Cienfuegos province as a contribution to sustainability

Pedro Duquesne Baró
Estación Experimental de Pastos y Forrajes Indio Hatuey, Central España Republicana 44280, Matanzas, Cuba

ABSTRACT
The study was conducted within the framework of the group of Sustainable Agricultural Development of the Pasture and Forage Research Station “Indio Hatuey”, with the participation of the communities, leaders, workers and technicians of the UBPCs Aguada, Aguadita and El Negrito, belonging to the Aguada, Rodas and Cumanayagua municipalities of Cienfuegos, respectively. The objective was to elaborate a strategy of sustainable rural development, with participatory approach, for the food crop and livestock production UBPCs. The MARPS methodology (1997) was applied for Participatory Diagnosis, and for Strategic Planning, the methodology of the New Paradigm Network proposed by De Souza (2007). It became evident that the productive organization Aguada is unsustainable, while the two UBPCs are nearly sustainable; nevertheless, the welfare of the ecosystem has undergone severe modifications. The Participatory Strategic Planning allowed the cooperative members to identify their main limitations: low agricultural and livestock yields, deficient feeding basis, more than 40 % of the areas infested with Dichrostachys cinerea, low soil fertility, lack of grazing area enclosing, lack of training and deficient economic situation. The necessary conditions were created to establish a development strategy that contributes to the sustainability of UBPCs in the agricultural sector.