This book details cuba s achievements in the field of sustainable agriculture. Cuba shifted from an exportoriented, chemicalintensive agricultural development strategy to one that promoted organic agriculture and encouraged production for the domestic market. Sustainable agriculture, organic farming, urban gardens. Cuban agriculture used more fertilizer and nearly as many tractors per hectare as that of the united states. Different from sustainable agriculture movements developed in isolated. Is this transformation of cuban agriculture a transitory. Soviet oil deliveries, and the termination of soviet price subsidies. Contribution of farmers experiments and innovations to cuba s agricultural innovation system volume 26 issue 4 friedrich leitgeb, fernando r. The situation was so bad that cuba posted the worst growth in per capita food production. Transforming food production in cuba features a gray landscape of factory chimneys and tree stumps unzipping into a lush landscape of trees and water. Transforming food production in cuba is the story of cuba s remarkable achievements in the use of sustainable agriculture, organic farming, urban gardens, smaller farms, animal traction, and biological pest control to feed the.
Fernando funes, luis garcia, martin bourque, nilda perez, and. A successful case study of sustainable agriculture. A new study reveals how if this diet takes on a global scale, we can see a change in agriculture. Transforming food production in cuba is the story of cubas achievements in the use sustainable agriculture, organic. They did so to survive the assinine embargo of thier island, but in doing so they have shown the way for all of us to move to a sane mode of food production. The jacket photo of sustainable agriculture and resistance.
Trade relations with the former socialist bloc and the tightening of the us trade embargodownload pdf sustainable agriculture and resistance book full free sustainable agriculture and resistance available for download and read online in other formatssustainable. Cuba was forced by historical circumstances to be one. There are manywho advocate a profound rethinking of our current modelsand,to better serve our coming needs,would reimagine and transform the world s major agriculture and food systems, not justtinker at the margins ormodify them incrementally. Pdf sustainable agriculture in cuba and its implications.
Danielle smith abstract since the economic crisis following the collapse of the soviet union, cuba has restructured their agriculture with a greater focus on domestic production of domestically consumed produce, and a dramatic reduction of petroleum products in all. Jan 12, 2017 sustainable agriculture and food production in a changing cuba. Organic agriculture and food security in developing countries 23 the synergistic benefits of organic farming 24 organic agriculture and productivity 25 organic agriculture as a means to increase farm and rural incomes 28 organic agriculture sustainability put into practice 30 organic agriculture and food security table of contents. It is more a process of learning and adaptation pretty, 1995b. Transforming food production in cuba is the story of cubas achievements in the use sustainable agriculture, organic farming, urban gardens, smaller farms, animal traction, and biological pest control to feed the country. This paper will examine the concept of sustainable agriculture and compare and contrast its practice in canada and cuba. Cuba s organic revolution kristen lyons achieving a sustainable agriculture that can ensure food security is recognised internationally as one of the most serious challenges we face. Cuba shifted from an exportoriented, chemicalintensive agricultural development strategy to one that promoted organic agriculture and. Altieri, the principles and strategies of agroecology in cuba, in. Traditional lowinput agricultural techniques, based on organic pests control and crop diversification, has been the backbone of the ecological food production in cuba. Transforming food production in cuba, oakland ca, food first books, pp5771 miedema, j. Part vi concludes by discussing the challenges to the consolidation and expansion of cubas experiment with sustainable agriculture.
Jan 15, 2002 sustainable agriculture and resistance. This was a result of the fall of the soviet union and an end to the imports it provided. This is a story of resistance against all odds, of cubas remarkable recovery from a food crisis brought on by the collapse of trade relations with the former socialist bloc. Pdf increasing food sovereignty with urban agriculture in cuba. Part ii chapters 711 covers the alternative agronomic practices that characterize the new model of.
Sustainable agriculture and resistance transforming food production in cuba. Project muse sustainable urban agriculture in cuba. Hallmarks of cubas organoponico system have been sustainable produce production, low levels of pesticide use, and other organic farming practices, such as crop rotation and soil management. The conversion to sustainable agriculture food politics.
Mar 05, 2003 food first has been working with cubas agricultural transformation since 1994 and last year published sustainable agriculture and resistance. Cuban agricultural policies followed the soviet modellarge monocultural state farms were highly mechanized and heavily reliant on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Food first has been working with cuba s agricultural transformation since 1994 and last year published sustainable agriculture and resistance. This article places cuba s agricultural reforms in historical context by examining the evolution of cuban agriculture from the colonial period until the present. Transforming food production in cuba sustainable agriculture and resistance. In the years that followed, the tiny island nation struggled to export sugar and citrus fruits for more critical imports. If you have access to a journal via a society or association membership, please browse to your society journal, select an article to view, and follow the instructions in this box. References sustainable agriculture global warming causes.
Sustainable agriculture, organic farming, this is a story of resistance against all odds, of cuba s remarkable recovery from a food crisis brought on by the collapse of trade relations with the former socialist bloc and the. Mar 30, 2016 as cuba reoriented its agriculture to depend less on imported chemical inputs and imported equipment, food production rebounded. Dec 10, 2009 sustainable farming that uses less chemicals and fossilfuel energy and emphasizes localized production and consumption has come to be viewed as an ecofriendly alternative to modern agriculture. Transforming food production in cuba is the story of cuba s remarkable achievements in the use of sustainable agriculture, organic farming, urban gardens, smaller farms, animal traction, and biological pest control to feed the country. Although cuba continues to depend on costly food imports, its innovations in agroecology science and practice have reduced food. Current extent and impact of sustainable agriculture the sustainable production of food is the first pillar of food security. Undoubtedly, today agricultural production in cuba is more selfsufficient and. In reaction to the myriad problems caused by the green revolution, an alternative agriculture called lisa lowinput sustainable agriculture emerged in the united states, cuba, western europe, and elsewhere in the late 1980s in 1990, in the united states, it was renamed sustainable agriculture research and education program sare. Transforming food production in cuba news made by about. Today, agricultural production in cuba is concerned, as. Fernando funes, luis garcia, martin bourque, nilda perez, and peter rosset. From 1996 though 2005, per capita food production in cuba increased by 4. Cuba relied on the soviet union and eastern european socialist econ. Fernando funes aguilar, professor and researcher at agricultural experimental station indio hatuey, matanzas, cuba, speaking at the university of vermont.
Transforming food production in cu december 26, 2017 11. A model of sustainable agriculture born out of necessity. Sustainable agriculture in cuba and its implications. Dec 14, 2011 top agricultural cuban researchers funes et al. Farmers experiments in cuba renewable agriculture and. Cuban organoponicos, part of cubas urban agriculture, have been studied in terms of agroecology. Unable to import either food or materials needed for conventional agriculture, cuba turned inward to selfreliance. Abdul latif jameel water and food systems lab jwafs grant for transforming animal agriculture systems 2020 call for proposals one of the most important challenges of our time is the question of how to feed a growing population in a sustainable mannerprotecting the environment our food production systems depend on. For two decades havana, cuba, has served as a living laboratory for practitioners and scholars of urban agriculture, particularly in its welldocumented role in helping stave off food insecurity. Already sidelined from international trade due to us embargoes, cuba became, almost overnight, a country detached from the rest of the world. By miguel altieri for the conversation president obamas trip to cuba this week accelerated the warming of u. Agroecologically efficient agricultural systems for. Beginning in the mid1990s, cuba embarked upon a transformation of the agricultural sector that has been hailed by some observers as a model of socially equitable and ecologically sustainable agriculture.
Sustainable agriculture and resistance tells the story of cuba s remarkable achievements in the use of sustainable agriculture, organic farming, urban gardens, smaller farms, animal traction and biological pest control to feed the country. This urban agriculture movement generated valuable lessons in organic farming for cuba. Transforming food production in cuba, a book largely written by the cuban agriculture experts involved with this transformation. When cuba faced the shock of lost trade relations with the soviet bloc in the early 1990s, food production initially collapsed due to the loss of imported fertilizers, pesticides, tractors, parts, and petroleum. Sustainable food production can be achieved only by conserving genetic variability and using it for the purpose of enhancing the productivity, profitability and stability of major cropping systems. Impacts on food production and challenges for food article pdf available january 1996 with 144 reads how we measure reads. Cuba is worlds first national experiment in sustainable agriculture. International perspectives on sustainable agriculture in cuba.
Jul, 2011 contribution of farmers experiments and innovations to cuba s agricultural innovation system volume 26 issue 4 friedrich leitgeb, fernando r. Cuban farmers have increased food production through smaller scale, lowinput farming practices, and nearly one fourth of cuban. This is not to say that radical economists will always agree with peterson or find her analysis more insightful than our own. Cuba, a model of sustainable agriculture towards global. From 1989 to 1992, cuba faced an economic crisis three times more severe than the great depression. He is one of the founding members of the cuban association of organic agriculture. The agribusiness threat to farmers, food and the environment, edited by fred magdoff, john bellamy foster and frederick h. Cuba has done an amazing job of switching over to organic, local food production. Sustainable agriculture, organic farming, urban gardens, smaller farms, animal traction and biological pest control are part of the successful paradigm shift underway in the cuban countryside. Pdf sustainable agriculture in cuba and its implications matt. Gale johnson university of chicago in the 1980s, fidel castro followed policies that put the cuban people at great risk. An analysis of the conversion of the cuban agriculture towards a more sustainable agriculture. National food program declared food, and freedom from hunger, basic human rights. Access to society journal content varies across our titles.
Sustainable agriculture is, therefore, not a simple model or package to be imposed. Farmers experiments in cuba renewable agriculture and food. Oddsustainable agriculture and resistance transforming food production in cuba. Josep gari studied the agroecology of the indigenous peoples of the pastaza region in brazil. This effort rendered the island a world leader in sustainable agriculture and its food production system became a model for other countries in the world to follow, especially developing societies that should be guarded against any damaging transformations. The situation was so bad that cuba posted the worst growth in per capita food production in all of latin america. International perspectives on sustainable agriculture in cuba b. To summarise sustainable agriculture is an agricultural system which does. Sustainable agriculture and resistance ebook pdf jan 09, 2020 corin tellado library sustainable agriculture and resistance fernando funes luis garcia martin bourque nilda perez peter rosset on amazoncom free shipping. Abdul latif jameel water and food systems lab jwafs. Part i chapters 16 provides an historical and contemporary overview of the social, economic, nutritional, philosophical, institutional, and educational context of cuban agriculture and its recent transformation.
As largescale industrial agriculture comes under increasing scrutiny because of its petroleum and petrochemicalbased input costs and environmentally objectionable consequences, increasing attention has been focused on sustainable, local, and agroecological techniques in food production. Agroecological techniques played an important role in alleviating the food crisis in cuba following the dissolution of the soviet union. Sustainable agriculture and food production in a changing cuba. Animal cruelty, the vegan diet, global warming and their relationship.
Sustainable agriculture in cuba and its implications project supervisor. This is a story of resistance against all odds, of. Pdf sustainable agriculture and resistance download full. In 1992, for example, the rio earth summit identified environmental degradation arising from industrial farming methods as one of the. Contribution of farmers experiments and innovations to. Cuba production food transforming in in transforming food agriculture. Food and agriculture in the 2030 agenda focusing on food and agriculture, investing in family farmers and transforming the rural sector can spur progress towards sdg targets.
Transforming food production in cuba is the story of cuba s achievements in the use sustainable agriculture, organic farming, urban gardens, smaller farms, animal traction, and biological pest control to feed the country. Sustainable and urban agriculture was a logical response of cubans to their resource constraints. Pdf sustainable agriculture and resistance transforming food production in cuba read online. Sustainable farming that uses less chemicals and fossilfuel energy and emphasizes localized production and consumption has come to be viewed as an ecofriendly alternative to modern agriculture. Sustainable agriculture and food security in cuba seattle. Agroecology is the study of ecological processes applied to agricultural production systems. In many countries, agriculture remains the largest employer and. Fernando funes, luis garcia, martin bourque, nilda perez. As agribusiness in the united states looks to cuba for new export markets.
Many people in both countries believe that normalizing relations will spur investment that can help cuba develop its economy and improve life for its citizens. Cuba, a model of sustainable agriculture towards global food. Transforming food production in cuba how the island was unable to import either food or materials needed for conventional agriculture and thus turned inward to selfreliance. Unable to import either food or the farm chemicals and machines needed to grow it via conventional agriculture, cuba turned inward toward selfreliance. Transforming food production in cuba news pdf files, free online sustainable agriculture and. Feb 01, 2019 more fruits, veggies, and grains are not only good for you, but also for the planet. Pdf sustainable agriculture and resistance transforming food production in cuba. There is more to cuba than fabulous cigars, 1950s cars, cheap rum.