Sustainable Urban Agriculture in Cuba

255 Pages·2011·2.89 MB·English

by  Sinan Koont

Koont Sinan Koont
ECONOMICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS/AGRICULTURE
“Pushed by necessity but enabled by its existing social and educational policies,
Cuba in the 1990s launched the most extensive program of urban sustainable
Sustainable Urban
agriculture in the world. This study is to date the only book-length investigation
in either English or Spanish of this important national experiment in trans-
forming the environmental, economic, and social nature of today’s dominant
S
system of producing food.”—Al Campbell, University of Utah
u
Agriculture in Cuba
s
• t
a
i
After the demise of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Cuba was left n
a
without the external support needed to carry on with industrial agricul- b
l
ture. This economic crisis led the country to reconsider their former models of e

resource management. With severely limited access to petroleum, pesticides, U
r
and the machinery needed to produce food for massconsumption, the country b
a
was forced to become a pioneer in urban agriculture—sustainable, ecologically
n
sound farming close to densely populated areas.
A
As a result, Cuba underwent an extraordinary reorganization of its agricul- g
r
tural system, focusing on growing food for local markets. Food now takes far i
c
less time to get to the people, who are now better nourished because they have u
l
easier access to fresh, organically produced foods. Moreover, urban farming t
u
has become a source of national pride; not only does the country boast one of r
e
the best urban agriculture programs in the world, it has seen a thousandfold
i
n
increase in produce output since 1994.

C
Now all eyes are on Cuba as the country demonstrates to the planet the u
b
power of an almost completely sustainable food production model. Its grower-
a
to-consumer chain is probably the shortest in the world, eliminating the need
to use fossil fuels for transportation and food preservation. And it is almost
completely organic—that is, produced without imported agrochemicals. Third
World countries, community-supported and co-op agricultural groups, and
the burgeoning Slow Food movement throughout the West will undoubtedly
benefit from the lessons Cuba has to offer.
Sinan Koont is associate professor of economics at Dickinson College. He has
spent the last several years researching urban agriculture in Cuba, including
field work at many sustainable farms on the island.
A volume in the series Contemporary Cuba, edited by John M. Kirk

Front cover: La Hierba Buena patio, belonging to Dr. Raúl Gil Sánchez. (Photo by author.)
University Press of Florida
UPF
www.upf.com ISBN 978-0-8130-3757-8
,!7IA8B3-adhfhi!
Sustainable Urban Agriculture in Cuba
Contemporary Cuba
University Press of Florida
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers
Florida International University, Miami
Florida State University, Tallahassee
New College of Florida, Sarasota
University of Central Florida, Orlando
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of North Florida, Jacksonville
University of South Florida, Tampa
University of West Florida, Pensacola

Sustainable Urban Agriculture
in Cuba
Sinan Koont
University Press of Florida
Gainesville · Tallahassee · Tampa · Boca Raton
Pensacola · Orlando · Miami · Jacksonville · Ft. Myers · Sarasota
Copyright 2011 by Sinan Koont
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America. This book is printed on Glatfelter
Natures Book, a paper certified under the standards of the Forestry
Stewardship Council (FSC). It is a recycled stock that contains 30 percent
post-consumer waste and is acid-free.
16 15 14 13 12 11 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Koont, Sinan, 1943-
Sustainable urban agriculture in Cuba / Sinan Koont.
p. cm.—(Contemporary Cuba)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8130-3757-8 (alk. paper)
1. Sustainable agriculture—Cuba. 2. Urban agriculture—Cuba.
3. Agriculture and state—Cuba. I. Title. II. Series: Contemporary Cuba.
S477.C9K66 2011
630.97291'091732—dc23
2011028137
The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency for the
State University System of Florida, comprising Florida A&M University,
Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida
International University, Florida State University, New College of Florida,
University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of North
Florida, University of South Florida, and University of West Florida.
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street
Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
http://www.upf.com
Contents
List of Figures vii
List of Tables ix
Acknowledgments xi
List of Abbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
1. Cuban Agriculture: Historical Background and Key Concepts 12
2. The Nature and Organization of Cuban Urban Agriculture 29
3. Foundations in Education, Research, and Development 54
4. Restructuring Worker Training, Preparatory Education, and Material
Inputs for Urban Agriculture 75
5. Creating Material and Moral Incentives to Motivate Workers 98
6. Technological Innovation in Urban Agriculture: Examples from
Protected and Semiprotected Cultivation 114
7. Case Studies of Urban Agriculture 130
8. Evaluating the Success of Cuban Urban Agriculture 164
9. Looking to the Future of Urban and Sustainable Agriculture: Cuba
and Worldwide 178
Notes 193
Bibliography 197
Index 225

Figures
1.1. INRE-1 in the city of Havana 26
2.1. The Organopónico Triangulo in Matanzas 35
2.2. A huerta intensiva at UBPC Alamar in Habana del Este 35
4.1. A mención-winning artwork at the National Museum of Fine Arts
87
4.2. Worm humus production at an IPA in Pinar del Río 88
4.3. Worm humus production in an Interior Ministry facility in Havana
92
4.4. A consultorio-tienda del agricultor in Havana 96
6.1. Semiprotegida organoponía cultivation at UBPC Alamar in Havana
120
7.1. A portion of a wall map showing eastern Cuba 134
7.2. One of the organopónicos at the IPA Batalla del Rubí 136
7.3. An organopónico at UBPC El Mango 138
7.4. Pigs in El Mango, feeding on seeds from nearby palms 139
7.5. The organopónico in the Empresa Forestal in Matanzas 144
7.6. An organopónico along Avenida de las Américas in Santiago 146
7.7. The sign identifying Organopónico Luis M. Pozo in Santiago 146
7.8. Canteros in the collective area of CCS Antero Regalado Falcón 153
7.9. Organopónico cultivation in Ibraín’s parcela 154
7.10. Certificate of excellence on display at the Municipal Center for
Equine Therapy 156
7.11. Flamboyán point of sale operated by CCSF Arides Estévez Sánchez
157
7.12. La Hierba Buena patio, belonging to Dr. Raúl Gil Sánchez 161

Tables
1.1. Per capita Cuban agricultural production averages 18
2.1. Extent of urban agricultural lands in Cuba 30
2.2. Agricultural land tenancy in Cuba, 2008 33
2.3. Entities participating in GNAU 38
2.4. Categories and subprograms of the urban agriculture movement
40
2.5. Production plans for the Vegetables and Fresh Condiments
subprogram, 2007–2010 44
2.6. Production goals for parcelas and patios, 2007 44
2.7. Annual yield criteria for GNAU evaluations of urban production
units 47
2.8. Annual production targets for rabbit meat, 2008–2010 48
3.1. National programs in the System of Science and Technological
Innovation 60
3.2. Sixth grade science levels of accomplishment 61
3.3. Percentage of sixth grade students by science performance level by
country 62
3.4. Master’s-level programs in agricultural sciences 66
3.5. Economic results of banana cultivation tests at two farms 71
6.1. Evaluation criteria for semiprotected organoponía 123
6.2. Possible crop associations in organopónicos and huertas intensivas
127
6.3. Plan for vegetables and fresh condiments in organoponía
semiprotegida, 2008–2010 128