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Cuba sustainable agriculture is now a reality in
Latin America. On the verge of famine in the fifteen
years ago, the agricultural system has changed to
become self reliant. Labour and capital intensive
monoculture prevailed under revolutionary Cuba.
Sugar cane plantation coffee and tobacco were
planted on a large scale but failed to feed the
hungry population.
Isolated by the trade embargo of the United States,
the Cuban government imported more than 80% of their
imports from the USSR. Its fertilizers, heavy
machinery, fuel and petroleum products came from the
communist country. But as from 1989, with the
collapse of the eastern block, the Cubans had to
change their agricultural policy; they could no
longer afford to buy machinery, fertilizers and
other food commodities through lack of funds. In the
mean time, the extensive use of fertilizers, heavy
machinery and poor irrigation techniques had damaged
the soil composition making it poor and provoking
soil erosion.
In this moment of crisis, the state of Cuba put in
practice its ecological plan which had been studying
since the dawn on the revolution in 1959by an armada
of Cuban biologist and gardeners. In this ‘Special
Period’ the state had to find a rapid solution to
remedy the situation and prevent starvation of its
population. Out of emergency and necessity the
eco-agricultural policy was set first on a trial
basis then spread to whole Cuba. Training was given
to the peasants where they were taught for example
how to produce green manure as well as worm
composting. Once they mastered the technique they
were encouraged to diffuse the information to other
members of their communities.
The landscape changed. Cattle returned back to the
fields and instead of seeing heavy machinery,
traditional ways of preparing the land and planting
resurfaced agricultural Cuba. Big state farms were
parceled and redistributed to peasants. An urban
agriculture was developed too thus discouraging
migration from rural to urban areas. Crop rotation,
green manure, biological pest control, organic
semi-organic manure and polyculture soil
conservation, organic soil amendments introduced to
enrich the soil and maximize yield.
The ecological agriculture remains now to be
vulgarized to the whole world now so as to eradicate
famine on the planet. Today in Cuba organic banana
and vegetable are available and are exported to
other countries. From a large extensive capital, the
agriculture in Cuba has changed to become low
capital, ecological and self reliant with every
Cuban family having a garden and incorporated in the
marketing of their products. |
