Resilience and agro-environmental protection of Red Ferrallitic soils in Karst regions of Western Cuba

Abstract

Introduction. Based on research initiated during 1986, which constitutes the baseline information, the resilience capacity of the Red Ferrallitic soils in the southern Karstic plain Havana-Matanzas is demonstrated for the first time, as a result of a multifactorial process, conditioned not only by the intrinsic properties of the soil cover and conditions of use, but also dependent on the geological-geomorphological conditions. Methods. The C1 profile (without apparent erosion), located in an area in biostasis, was used as a baseline to evaluate the magnitude of loss of Red Ferrallitic soils through Karst depressions in different scenarios using the prediction model of Kay et al. (1994). Results. It was concluded that under normal agricultural practices the Red Ferrallitic soils affected by erosion would recover in a period of 50 years, while according to the degree of limestone impurities it would take between 100 to 600 years. It was recommended to the authorities that it was necessary to definitively apply the results obtained for more than three decades in the determination of the specific modalities assumed by the degradation of the Red Ferrallitic soils, so that their degradation ceases to be a myth and becomes a priority issue for the food sovereignty and nutritional education plan of Cuba post-COVID-19, since they represent the maximum potential to satisfy what the country currently demands for agricultural productions.