havana dreams

This is something that I heard of, but never properly looked into. I think we could all take a lesson from Cuba.

In “eat local” movement, Cuba is years ahead, via ENN.

As a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the subsequent trade embargoes put on the country, Cuba turned to small sustainable farms to offset reduced rations of food.

They have proven extremely popular, occupying 35,000 hectares (86,000 acres) of land across the Caribbean island. Even before the hurricanes, they produced half of the leaf vegetables eaten in Cuba, which imports about 60 percent of its food.

“I don’t say they have the capacity to produce enough food for the whole island, but for social and also agricultural reasons they are the most adequate response to a crisis,” said Catherine Murphy, a U.S. sociologist who has studied Cuba’s urban gardens.

Another benefit is because of a work share program, many in the community make double the national average at $43/month.

In contrast, 80% of US farms are commodity agriculture and do not produce food for consumption. And, the average farmer has to have another job in order to supplement the income just above the poverty level.

I have written for a while that I feel we will soon see an unimaginable food crisis. We have lost our connection to how our food is produced and made and it will only hinder us when we face uncertain times. My belief is that we can take a lesson from Cuba by creating community gardens, rooftop gardens, and much, much more.