{"id":2724,"date":"2018-03-12T21:54:38","date_gmt":"2018-03-12T21:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/?p=2724"},"modified":"2020-09-12T22:04:23","modified_gmt":"2020-09-12T22:04:23","slug":"how-organic-agriculture-in-cuba-saved-its-population-from-hunger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/how-organic-agriculture-in-cuba-saved-its-population-from-hunger\/","title":{"rendered":"How organic agriculture in Cuba saved its population from hunger"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Cuba\u2019s example shows that sustainable development isn\u2019t only possible, it\u2019s necessary. This country was forced to abandon its sugar monoculture and has survived thanks to organic agriculture.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"747\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Bc3DJAybt_o?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cuba\u2019s \u201cspecial period\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cuba is often associated with&nbsp;<strong>sugar<\/strong>. In&nbsp;fact, right until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, this country had been its greatest exporter; cane sugar was the principal crop being&nbsp;cultivated, which entailed a large use of pesticides. From that year onwards the situation changed: with the disappearance of&nbsp;its main recipient, the Soviet market \u2013 also necessary for the importation of petrol \u2013 the Cuban economy suffered a great blow and entered what is euphemistically called the \u201cspecial period\u201d, made even worse by the tightening of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifegate.com\/people\/news\/un-general-assembly-embargo-united-states-cuba\">American embargo<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Were all those pesticides really necessary?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without petrol (or money) there was no way to import food for the Cuban people. Therefore, its citizens were&nbsp;<strong>on the verge of famine<\/strong>. More and more people started growing crops on their balconies and gardens, and farmers were forced to alter their cultivation methods: they returned to ploughing fields with oxen, got closer to their customers through&nbsp;<strong>direct sales<\/strong>&nbsp;and used natural alternatives to pesticides. \u201cBoats had arrived from the Soviet Union full of chemicals and fertilisers and suddenly there were no more boats from the Soviet Union, and people asked, do we need all those chemicals?,\u201d Miguel Angel Salcines, the owner of one of Cuba\u2019s organic farms told British daily&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2017\/oct\/28\/organic-or-starve-can-cubas-new-farming-model-provide-food-security\">The Guardian<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The growth of organic agriculture in Cuba<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is how\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifegate.com\/people\/news\/organic-farming-is-more-profitable\">organic agriculture<\/a>\u00a0took a hold in Cuba. Today, small plots of land \u2013 no larger than 40 hectares \u2013 are being farmed without using pesticides and all products are sold\u00a0<strong>locally<\/strong>. The government has supported citizens\u2019 initiatives through land concessions and the creation of a body that coordinates and promotes the development of\u00a0<strong>sustainable urban agriculture<\/strong>. This is how people have been able to feed themselves and the country managed to\u00a0cut some of its\u00a0dependence from imported goods. The transition hasn\u2019t yet become definitive and the process has slowed down as the economy has improved, and we must also take into account that massive amounts of pesticides were used on many of the lands where crops are now grown organically. Nevertheless, a study that was published in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/monthlyreview.org\/2012\/01\/01\/the-paradox-of-cuban-agriculture\">Monthly Review<\/a>\u00a0magazine shows that from 1988 to 2007 the country increased the production of vegetables by 145 per cent, decreasing the use of pesticides by 72 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOrganic agriculture isn\u2019t a mirage, and the closing of half of the country\u2019s sugar refineries represented the first step towards our&nbsp;<strong>food independence<\/strong>,\u201d according to Fernando Funes Monzote, who has a Phd in Agronomy and is the son of one of Cuba\u2019s greatest supporters of organic agriculture. Even though it isn\u2019t perfect, the country\u2019s transition towards a new agricultural model is an example to others as it shows that sustainable development and food security are attainable and deeply connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Translated by<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifegate.com\/author\/andrea-cutolo\">\u00a0Andrea Cutolo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifegate.com\/organic-agriculture-in-cuba\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.lifegate.com\/organic-agriculture-in-cuba\">Life Gate<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cuba\u2019s example shows that sustainable development isn\u2019t only possible, it\u2019s necessary. This country was forced to abandon its sugar monoculture and has survived thanks to<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/how-organic-agriculture-in-cuba-saved-its-population-from-hunger\/\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101011,"featured_media":2725,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cuba"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8006,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/growing-resilience-how-cubas-urban-agriculture-model-is-strengthening-communities\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":0},"title":"Growing Resilience: How Cuba&#8217;s Urban Agriculture Model is Strengthening Communities","author":"Editorial Team","date":"March 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Cuba\u2019s unique Human-Centered Agriculture program promotes a holistic approach to farming that prioritizes the well-being of people and the environment. A key component of this program is its commitment to organic farming, which has helped to create a more resilient and sustainable food system","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0205-2-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0205-2-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0205-2-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0205-2-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0205-2-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2729,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/why-cuba-produces-only-organic-honey-and-exports-it-to-the-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":1},"title":"Why Cuba produces only organic honey and exports it to the world","author":"Editorial Team","date":"April 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"La Isla Bonita has long been unable to afford pesticides, so, it is now immune to declining bee populations, its natural environment is pristine, and the production of organic honey has become one of the country\u2019s key agricultural exports. Cuba produced as much as 7,200 tonnes of organic honey in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cuba&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cuba","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/honey-4-cuba-arnie.jpg?fit=980%2C490&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/honey-4-cuba-arnie.jpg?fit=980%2C490&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/honey-4-cuba-arnie.jpg?fit=980%2C490&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/honey-4-cuba-arnie.jpg?fit=980%2C490&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2265,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/cubas-clean-rivers-show-the-benefits-of-reducing-nutrient-pollution\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":2},"title":"Cuba\u2019s clean rivers show the benefits of reducing nutrient pollution","author":"Editorial Team","date":"June 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"For most of the past 60 years, the United States and Cuba have had very limited diplomatic ties. President Barack Obama started the process of\u00a0normalizing U.S.-Cuba relations, but the Trump administration reversed this policy,\u00a0sharply reducing interactions\u00a0between the two countries. Scientific cooperation is a bright spot in this difficult history. Since\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cuba&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cuba","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/river-cuba.jpeg?fit=474%2C355&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7772,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/cubas-urban-farming-revolution-how-to-create-self-sufficient-cities-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":3},"title":"Cuba\u2019s Urban Farming Revolution: How to Create Self-Sufficient Cities","author":"Editorial Team","date":"April 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Havanas\u2019s unique agricultural infrastructure emerged from punishing trade sanctions following the fall of the USSR but today provides an exemplary precedent that could be applied worldwide","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cuba&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cuba","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2022-10-17-at-23.22.10.png?fit=633%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2022-10-17-at-23.22.10.png?fit=633%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2022-10-17-at-23.22.10.png?fit=633%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1884,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/cubas-urban-farming-revolution-how-to-create-self-sufficient-cities\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":4},"title":"Cuba\u2019s Urban Farming Revolution: How to Create Self-Sufficient Cities","author":"Editorial Team","date":"May 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Havanas\u2019s unique agricultural infrastructure emerged from punishing trade sanctions following the fall of the USSR but today provides an exemplary precedent that could be applied worldwide When Cuba found itself abruptly cut off from trade with the Soviet bloc in 1989, the country entered into an economic crisis of unprecedented\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cuba&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cuba","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Organoponico-Vivero-Alamar.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Organoponico-Vivero-Alamar.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Organoponico-Vivero-Alamar.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Organoponico-Vivero-Alamar.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2428,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/fidel-castros-enduring-enviromental-legacy\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":5},"title":"Fidel Castro&#8217;s Enduring Enviromental Legacy","author":"Editorial Team","date":"December 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Tomorrow will be too late to do what we should have done a long time ago,\u201d said Fidel.\u00a0 Fidel\u2019s commitment to education and health care stand out as monumental achievements for Cuba under his decades of rule. While he emerged as a stalwart of anti-imperialism and anti-capitalism, his commitment to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cuba&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cuba","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuba_fidel_castro.jpg?fit=600%2C340&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuba_fidel_castro.jpg?fit=600%2C340&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuba_fidel_castro.jpg?fit=600%2C340&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3xdTY-HW","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/farming-in-cuba-2.png?fit=787%2C500&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101011"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2724"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2724\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}