SOCIOCULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL

EDUCATION AND THE PATTERN OF

PRODUCTION IN MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES.

Dr. Fernando C Agüero Contreras.

An experience of sociocultural and environmental education at

communities level is presented in Central Mountain known as

Escambray o Guamuhaya one of the three most important and

complex; social and culturally, of the Cuban mountainous chains.

Although geographic and culturally represent a region, at present

is politically part of three provinces and among them Cienfuegos,

have biggest extension. The priority of the state to support the

zone explains the increased role of the university in it. This paper

will give you an overview in a short way of the experience, the

results and some theoretical reflections.

Group of Mountain Guamuhaya

Group of Mountain Sierra Maestra

Group of Mountain

Guaniguanico

At Central Cuba are located the best land to harvest the coffee production

Cienfuegos was the only Cuban city of the XIX century, founded for French people. With a group of historical,

social and cultural particularities, it was declared recently “Cultural Patrimony of the Humanity”. Crossed by

complex historical components these have been defined as a transculturalization process which produce the main

features of Cubans at present time. The natural environment this region integrates more specificities becoming

relevant from geophysical perspective. In fact Cienfuegos is among the South of the Caribbean Coast, closed to

the biggest wetland area of the Caribbean Region well known as “the Swamp of Zapata” in the west but

surrounded by the mountainous group in the eastern known as “Escambray or Guamuhaya”. So the mountain

groups that represent the most important ecosystem of the region is located among Santa Clara's cities, Sanctis

Spíritus and Cienfuegos, possess an approximate extension of 1200Kms², a concentrated population of 32 000

thousand inhabitants that essentially resides in about 90 human establishments. The biggest height is the Pick

San Juan of 1156 MSNM and it prevails in the rest, an elevation average of about 450 MSNM.

From the Spaniards time until 1959 the main form of tenancy of

land was the great property and defending that positions its

owners became the zone in area of military conflict from 1960-

1965. In spite of that the social and economic transformation were

expanded and let observe at present how the Millennium

Development Goals of the UN have been basically fulfilled.

The Cuban mountain areas are defined as the place up to 200

meters over the sea level (OSL), considering the geologic and

geophysical specificities. The average of the height is of 450

meters and the top point high it is the San Juan Peak with 1140

meters (OSL). The extension area is about 430 Kms², it has

almost 6 thousand inhabitants which 80%. living in 32 concentrate

human settlements. Institution of education and the health care

system are in wide range expanded all over the mountain area

and these explain the zero infantile mortality rates and the same

for maternal mortality.

COMPLEX

ECOSYSTEM

Coffee Traditional Economy

INCOHERENT SOCIALIZATION PROCESS

High level of urban

Cultural content

Among citizenship

Low cultural level

Break cultural and

Education: high

Expectation of life

Demographic

Change: New

social

Approach of

traditional

technology

Diversity of

economic

Relations

Lost view about the ecosystem

Difficulties in Mountain Group

ESCAMBRAY. (I)

Global climate Change:

Hydrographic Basin

Biodiversity

Lost of Soil

Decrease production

Migration process

Among the main features of the zone have appeared the changed

of economic structures in which individual properties became

the main owner of land plantations to produce coffee, who are

organized in cooperative of production. Other important

sociological and anthropological factors in mountain zone are:

• Ageing of the main forces of production.

• Slow reproduction of the technician support for the production

requirements.

• High level of spatial mobility of the population.

(emigration/immigration).

• Weakness of the cultural tradition and cultural values.

• No clear concepts of rural – urban relations and their impacts

over the social dynamics.

• Weakness in the socialization roles of the educational system.

(higher expectation of life than possibilities to satisfy them).

• Limitation the ethic role of the family at community level

• Weakness of commitment of younger generation with goals of

sustainability of the ecosystem.

• Absence of new approaches of sciences and technology for

mountain survival at curricula in school level.

• A less clear perspective of science and technology in the social

view of solution of the community difficulties

• Weakness of food security

Difficulties in Mountain Group

ESCAMBRAY. (II)

CONFLICT BETWEEN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION SYSTEM.

CONFLICT BETWEEN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION SYSTEM.

Difficulties in Mountain Group ESCAMBRAY. (II)

At the same time the environmental difficulties increased their

roles claiming for new pattern of culture. Among them are:

1. Increase the dry season, which require transformation in

production system, new seeds, and new pattern of cultural to

produce.

2. Lack and weak awareness of the deforestation process, and

their influences and role in the mountain ecosystem.

3. Increase the influences hurricanes number in the summer time

and theirs dangerous results in the last years.

4. Absence of commitment of communities to manage the

watershed.

5. Fault of knowledge by communities to manage the hydrograph

basins

6. A deep and dangerous loss of soil.

SINTESIS DE LOS PROBLEMAS DEL ESCAMBRAY.

(V).

Afectaciones decadales por CT a Cienfuegos. Período 1851-2005

1

0

1 1

2

0 0

1

2

0

2

0 0 0

1

3

0

1

2

3

1851-1

860

1861-1

870

1871-1

880

1881-1

890

1891-1

900

1901-1

910

1911-1

920

1921-1

930

1931-1

940

1941-1

950

1951-1

960

1961-1

970

1971-1

980

1981-1

990

1991-2

000

1995-2

005

Décadas

No

. d

e o

rgan

ism

os

Afectaciones decadales de organismos ciclónicos a Cienfuegos.

Período 1851-2005

Hurricanes involving Cienfuegos.

Table No. I. Actions unfolded from the University to mountain communities

Communitarian

work from the

University

Enterprises

and Producers

Families and

communities

Educational

Institutions

Local

Government

Capacity

building

Capacity

building

Capacity

building

Capacity building.

And improve self

government

Improvement

Capabilities Promote

environment

leadership

Promote

environment

leadership

Promote

environment

leadership

Promote

environment

leadership

Introduce new

approaches about

the sciences,

technology for

sustainable

development

Reinforce rural

extensionism

and the role of

new pattern of

sciences and

technologies

NGOs and

Communities

New subjects at

curricula level:

biodiversity and

communities

Participation

Capacity building

and improve

programs and

communitarians

projects

Rescuing traditional

knowledge

to do

compatible the

traditional

knowledge with

last results of

the sciences for

sustainable

development

to do

compatible the

traditional

knowledge with

last results of

the sciences for

sustainable

development .

to do

compatible the

traditional

knowledge with

last results of

the sciences for

sustainable

development

to do compatible

the traditional

knowledge with

last results of the

sciences for

sustainable

development

To develop these perspectives of work, the sociocultural approach

became the most appropriate focus to be applied. So was

possible not only to take the best value of the heritage tradition of

culture but the new results of sciences. It was shown that no only

the education and the information are important for people but it is

necessary to make discussions, to have new and better social

representations of those process, coming and helping with the

arts expressions, seeing experience and results of those persons,

enterprises and communities which experienced better

understanding and results.

The sociocultural approach and the action research method let an

special combination of interdisciplinary scope, join with critical

perspective the past and the present in a widest horizon of

necessities

Table No. II. Sociocultural approaches to develop environment and sustainable

education. Environment

problems and

difficulties for

sustainable

development

Enterprises and

Producers

Families and

communities

Educational

Institutions

Local

Government

Soil erosion

Rural extension

Theatre

Videos, films

Forums of

discussions, arts

expositions,

cartels,

Systematized

experiences,

videos

discussions,

public debate,

Productions fair,

field visits,

Theatre

Systematized

experiences,

videos

discussions,

public debate

Productions fair,

field visits,

Theatre.

Interdisciplinary

actions

Systematized

experiences,

videos

discussions, public

debate,

Productions fair,

field visits,

Intersector

projects

Reforestation

Rural extension

Theatre

Videos, films

Forums of

discussions, arts

expositions,

cartels,

Systematized

experiences,

videos

discussions.

Public debate.

Production fairs.

Field visits.

Theatre

Systematized

experiences,

videos

discussions,

public debate,

Productions fair,

field visits,

Theatre.

Interdisciplinary

actions

Systematized

experiences,

videos

discussions, public

debate,

Productions fair,

field visits,

Intersector

projects

Table No. II.(B) Sociocultural approaches to develop environment and sustainable

education. Environment

problems and

difficulties for

sustainable

development

Enterprises and

Producers

Families and

communities

Educational

Institutions

Local

Government

Watershed

Rural extension

Theatre

Videos, films

Forums of

discussions, arts

expositions,

cartels,

Systematized

experiences,

videos

discussions.

Public debate.

Productions fair.

Field visits,

Theatre

Systematized

experiences,

videos

discussions.

Public debate.

Productions fair.

Field visits,

Theatre

Interdisciplinary

actions

Systematized

experiences,

videos

discussions.

Public debate.

Productions fair.

Field visits,

Theatre

Intersector

projects

Hydrograph

basins

Rural extension

Theatre

Videos, films

Forums of

discussions, arts

expositions,

cartels,

Systematized

experiences,

videos

discussions,

public discussions,

Productions fair,

field visits,

Theatre

Systematized

experiences,

videos

discussions,

public discussions,

Productions fair,

field visits,

Theatre.

Interdisciplinary

actions

Systematized

experiences,

videos

discussions, public

discussions,

Productions fair,

field visits,

Intersector

projects

The educational institutions could do a great contribution

if they are capable to promote and improve theirs

curricula strategies. The need of a wider interdisciplinary

and intersectorial work and influence of the cultural as a

whole become a priority very closed to a new approach

of the science and technology to do reality the new

mode of production.

BARRERA CON

SAGÚ.

BARRERA DE VETIVER

Soil Soil