Organic Agriculture in Cuba: An Unforeseen Leader
If you dine at a restaurant in Cuba, you are probably eating food that came straight from an organic farm that very same day. Farm-to-table dining is quickly becoming a trend throughout the country and the foodservice industry is striving to use the most natural and fresh products possible. This is how they guarantee the quality of their dishes and meet the needs of the customers who want to consume food grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. The origin of this current trend can actually be traced decades back in Cuba’s history, so it’s no wonder that Cuba has been quick to embrace this “new” way of eating.
Prior to the 1959 Revolution, 67% of Cuban land was owned by US corporations and 85% of Cuban farmers did not own the land they worked, thus living under the constant threat of eviction. Cuba supported a mono-producer, mono-exporter agricultural model of sugarcane, and its subsequent sale to the United States.
With the triumph of the Revolution, Fidel Castro approved the Agrarian Reform Law which placed limits on ownership of acreage and redistributed swaths of land to farmers in 67-acre parcels. In response to this and other tense economical and political clashes, the US government began to formulate the basis of the economic and financial embargo against the revolutionary government, which included the halt of purchasing Cuban agricultural products.
Cuba saw a helping hand in the Soviet Union that promised to buy all Cuban sugar as well as other national products. The USSR imported many products from Cuba, including agricultural products such as compost. But economic dependence, a recurring theme in Cuban history, delivered a scathing lesson. In 1990, the USSR dissolved and Cuba lost its only solid economic ally. In that same year, the somewhat inaccurately-named Special Period began, in which the country faced a devastating economic scenario. The revolutionary government was forced to reformulate its development strategy and had to apply austere measures normally used during wartime to weather the severity of the economic crisis.
In this context, the national strategy was to produce as much as possible within the country and avoid imports. Obviously agriculture was a prime example that looked to national production. An urban agricultural policy was conceived that consisted of establishing organoponicos (organic urban gardens) in abandoned building sites, vacant lots, and the land just outside of the cities.
Thus, pressured by external circumstances, concepts such as organic agriculture, permaculture, and sustainability appeared in the lives of Cubans and was there to stay for good. (In 2012, the monthly review stated Cuba imports 16% of its food.)
Cuba now has 20 years of experience in terms of food sovereignty, a concept that tries to define the ability to develop the largest amount of agricultural products to satisfy the needs of the population without importing and always based on the conditions of its tropical agriculture. In this way, the production of biodegradable fertilizers and food grown with the most natural and ecological methods possible was reinforced.
Today, Cuba has a suburban agriculture program comprising 27 sub-programs that specialize in the production of agricultural products ranging from natural fertilizers to final products ready for consumption. This includes certificate programs and even a master's degree in urban agriculture that delves into agroecology issues. The government has developed communication strategies to inform and engage the population about organic products and thus encourage the consumption of these products and people’s utilization and knowledge of these planting methods that are environmentally friendly and most beneficial to health.
On a global level, Cuba is a reference point in organic food production, with the New York Times repeatedly referring to the development of this trend in the country. Cuban agriculture does not use pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or any artificial product that allows the growth and conservation of crops. Biological controls are used to prevent pests and plant disease. More and more Cubans are becoming aware of how necessary, and possible, agroecology is to building a better world and to create a more fair food market competition worldwide.
References:
Análisis Crítico de la Reforma Agraria Cubana