Havana food and agriculture organization of the united nations. Sustainable and urban agriculture was a logical response of cubans to their resource constraints. Cuba went organic out of necessity, when the soviet bloc collapsed in 1991 and the island nation was cut off from the countrys petroleum, fertilizers and pesticides. Another key resource for the popular gardens is the ministry of agriculture minagri, which has created a special unit to promote and support urban agriculture. Urban agriculture can promote a wide range of sustainable development goals for example, food security, energy efficiency, waste management, and employment. A lack of infrastructure, market mechanisms, legal. This short documentary, produced by anna farb and rachel gilbert, focuses on urban agriculture in cuba. Urban agriculture emerged in the early years of the special period as an alternative to the inputintensive, statecentric, agricultural. Through the land reform of 2008 and the lineamientos of 2011, the cuban. In sustainable urban agriculture in cuba, sinan koont indicates that most of the global south has lost any semblance of food sovereigntythe ability to be selfsufficient, to practice a more sustainable form of. Princeton architectural press 2014 mc cruz, r medina, agriculture in the city, a key to sustainability in havana, cuba, kingston, jamaica.
The case of cuba article pdf available in environment development and sustainability 144 august 2012 with 4,035 reads how we measure reads. Urban agriculture can also involve animal husbandry. The urban agriculture in cuba a productive and popular movement with ecological bases. Undoubtedly, today agricultural production in cuba is more selfsufficient and. The agribusiness threat to farmers, food and the environment, edited by fred. Urban agriculture in cuba photo essay cubans see their urban agriculture movement as a possible solution as the world begins to grapple with increasing prices and demand for food and. While havanas urban agriculture has taken on many forms, ranging from private gardens huertos privados to stateowned research gardens organicponicos, havanas popular gardens huertos. Cubas organic agricultural system has gotten a lot of attention over the past fifteen years, particularly among canadians and european urban agriculture. Request pdf on jan 1, 20, c ergas and others published sustainable urban agriculture in cuba find, read and cite all the research you need on. The cubans called their solution organoponics because it uses an. Some are concerned about food security, sovereignty, and impacts of agriculture on the environment. French goes on to assert that this is an apparent rise of free market capitalism in cuba. Cuba, a model of sustainable agriculture towards global.
This is despite cuba being the second poorest country in the americas. The sustainable food trust, founded by patrick holden, is a global voice for sustainable food systems, aiming to empower communities with sustainable ideas, and push for government policy changes. Sustainable urban agriculture in cuba global delivery. Today, there are over 400 horticulture clubs in havana registered with ministry of agriculture. It originated in cuba and is still mostly focused there. Urban agriculture, urban farming, or urban gardening is the practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around urban areas. Sustainable urban agriculture in cuba contemporary cuba sinan koont on. Sustainable urban agriculture in cuba contemporary cuba 2011 english pdf. Increasing food sovereignty with urban agriculture in cuba. The cuban ministry of agriculture supported them and, in 1994, an urban agriculture department uad was formed.
This eco cuba network trip is being organized for students and professors of antioch university new england. Traditional lowinput agricultural techniques, based on organic pests control and crop diversification, has been the backbone of the ecological food production in cuba. Sustainable urban agriculture in cuba contemporary. In 2003, cuba had reduced its use of diesel fuel by more than 50%, synthetic fertilizers by 90%, and chemical insecticides by 83%. Urban agriculture in cuba has played an important role for citizens food supply since the collapse of the eastern block. This post was originally published on staff viewpoints at fresh approach this past fall, i had the honor of traveling to cuba on food firsts food sovereignty tour. Urban farming has gained momentum in recent years but for cuba in the 1990s, the shift to an urban agricultural economy was a matter of life or death. Transforming food production in cuba is the story of cubas achievements in the use sustainable agriculture, organic farming, urban gardens, smaller farms, animal. Urban agriculture in havana centre for public impact cpi. Pdf the dominant mode of feeding australian cities is the industrial.
Cuba has come a long way since the collapse of the soviet union, when the loss of imports crucial for the island nations industrial agriculture systemsuch as chemical pesticides and fertilizersleft cuba. Moreover, urban farming has become a source of national pridecuba has one of the best urban agriculture programs in the world, with a thousandfold increase in urban agricultural output since. Footage was taken during a 9day trip to havana through dickinson colleges. The potential benefits agriculture off ers in urban areas have gained the interest of many residents and policy makers, who. As largescale industrial agriculture comes under increasing scrutiny because of its petroleum and petrochemicalbased input costs and environmentally objectionable consequences, increasing. There is increased interest in urban agriculture in recent years that has emerged for many reasons. He tells the story of why and how cuba was able to.
With the collapse of the soviet bloc and its economic support in 1989, as well as the tightening of the us economic embargo, cuba has been forced to explore sustainable agriculture as a. A large number of urban gardens in havana and other major cities. The conversion of cubas agriculture to more sustainable practices has focused on urban agriculture and domestic crops. Urban farming and its necessity in cuba field study of. This urban agriculture movement generated valuable lessons in organic farming for cuba. It often consists of lowlevel concrete walls filled with organic.
When necessary, clubs organize regular watch duties to guard gardens from robbers. Sinan koont sinan koont has spent the last several years researching urban agriculture in cuba, including field work at many sustainable farms on the island. Urban agriculture, cuba, agroecology, sustainable agriculture, food security, biological pest. Urban agriculture in cuba has rapidly become a significant source of fresh produce for the urban and suburban populations. Traditional lowinput agricultural techniques, based on organic. Sustainable urban agriculture in cuba contemporary cuba. In the 1990s, in the face of a massive food shortage, the citizens of havana did the only thing they could take their lives into their. Project muse sustainable urban agriculture in cuba.
Sustainable urban agriculture in cuba contemporary cuba koont, sinan on. However, despite generating valuable lessons in urban agriculture, it is worth noting the urban farming movement in cuba is still relatively small. Why so many havana residents grow their own food citylab. In sustainable urban agriculture in cuba, sinan koont indicates that most of the. In havana, 90% of the citys fresh produce came from local urban farms and gardens, all organic. In 2003, more than 200,000 cubans were employed in urban agriculture. As a result, more than 35,000 hectares over 87,000 acres of land are being used in urban agriculture in havana. The urban agriculture can be defined as the production of foods inside the confines of the cities. Urban agriculture for food security in cuba future directions. The countrys innovative solution was urban organic farming, the creation of organoponicos. Pdf sustainable agriculture in cuba and its implications matt. Such services directly support safety of navigation, safety of life at sea, efficient sea transportation and the wider use of the seas and oceans in a sustainable way, including the protection of the marine. There are several positive externalities or spillover effects associated with urban agriculture in highdensity.
The us has a lot to learn from cuba about sustainable. Through meetings, site visits, service and informal interactions, participants will learn about. A successful case study of sustainable agriculture. The government supported this movement by making it legal and free to use unused public land for agriculture. The collapse of the soviet union forced cuba to become selfreliant in its agricultural production. It will also draw attention to how the phenomenon of urban agriculture is.
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