Researchers from the University of Quintana Roo (UQROO) and the Maya Intercultural University (Uimqroo) are evaluating the cultivation of organic dragon fruit as a new economic and environmental production alternative that would prevent young people from emigrating in search of job opportunities.
The project compares conventional pitahaya crop production against ecological forms (organic) seeks to occur on a large scale and economically benefit communities.
According to the head of this project, Hector Cálix of God, a researcher from the Uimqroo, "people say organic products are better than the conventional products (as they are sprayed with pesticides and other agricultural chemicals), this research will establish and confirm point by point why organic production is better," said Cálix de Dios.
Organic production of this fruit would allow producers to take care of the environment, save costs in inputs, conserve local seeds, preserve traditional farming, and it would serve as a basis for community cohesion, all of which would favor the economy so people wouldn't emigrate as much in search of job opportunities, said the researcher.
The project has the support of Roberta Castillo Martinez, a teacher at the UQROO that is devoted to the study of the types of pitaya and dragon fruit (which are varieties of the same fruit), in search of alternatives for large-scale production of these fruits in different communities.
Production
The goal is for the producing communities to market their own production, specifically Saban (municipality of José María Morelos), Chun-ya (municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto), and Chunes (municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto). So far we have achieved some productive progress with farmers that have no government support, said Castillo Martinez.
Castillo Martinez is a pioneer in this field in Quintana Roo and one of the leading researchers on the production of this fruit at the national level.
Her Technical Guide for the production of Dragon Fruit has been useful for producers and marketers of Brazil and the United States.
We expect that, together with the Uimqroo, we can discover agricultural techniques to produce dragon fruit organically and that the communities involved in this production can market them, said Castillo Martinez.
Source: sipse.com
