Reflections on Cuba (Part 2)

Patio Pelegrin

There is so much that I drank in (besides mojitos!) during my 10 days in Cuba that remains long after getting off that plane back in Miami. It has taken some time to ground myself again in this place I call home, the United States. The comparisons between the small island nation and this enormous one really are unfair and most depend on a skewed vision of what constitutes "wealth" and a "high standard of living." For many of the people I spoke to who were born after the Special Period (1990-1998) Cuba is far behind on developing jobs, resources, opportunities for its people. For those who know life during the Special Period, things aren't necessarily so bad. In Cuba today you will hear differing opinions and voices, a testimony, I felt, that discussions about life and politics are more transparent and open than before. A hopeful sign.

As an American, the most profound experience was discovering how the decade-long Special Period affected the lives of each and every Cuban continuing right up to the present. That Cuba is still here after a crisis some state was three times worse than the Great Depression here in the US, is a testament to the heart, courage and resourcefulness of the Cuban people.

Imagine if you can a moment in time when your source of fuel, grains, fertilizers, pesticides and trade ended virtually overnight. Everything upon which you depended for a livelihood just collapses. Electricity is limited and erratic. Buses stop running and cars sit idle. Food disappears from shelves. And food rots in the fields because there is no fuel for the trucks to move it to markets. Animals lack for feed.  That is what happened to Cuba in 1990. While attempting to recover from the failures of the "green revolution" --a totally unsustainable, monoculture farming of vast expanses of land completely dependent on petroleum products--Cuba's main trading partner, the Soviet Union, ceased to exist. Without petroleum, without a market for their chief exports of sugar, tobacco, citrus, the Cuban economy collapsed. This was 1990. Within two years, the average Cuban had lost 20 pounds and many were suffering from a degenerative eye disease due to lack of certain nutrients. While the United States trade embargo tightened rather loosened it's restrictions, hoping to finally choke the life out of the socialist experiment just 90 miles away, Cubans completely reconstructed their lives and created ways to feed its people without assistance from any other nation. So far, they are the only country in the world who has accomplished this.

We were in Cuba to see how almost 25 years later, this grand experiment in agroecology and socialist cooperation was working. While it still has hiccups and there is still much room for improvement, the farms, cooperatives and urban gardens we explored and enjoyed with gusto and great food, have restructured agriculture and continue to explore and implement new methods using the resources at hand. Most farms, whether labeled or not, follow permaculture models of diversity, planting zones, tree guilds, and a closed loop system--what resources are used on the farm are returned to the area. Solar panels powered well pumps, special huts were built to grow ladybugs and beneficial predator insects for controlling pests. All farms and locations had worm beds, large troughs of brick or concrete block that were constantly producing worm castings from manure for fertilizer. The manure comes from draft animals, either horses or oxen, kept on larger acreages for hauling and tilling. And for producing the precious manure. Mechanization virtually ceased during the Special Period and what was observed was the soil became healthier and less compacted over time so we saw most farms utilizing animal traction even when tractors and fuel were available. Everything on these farms and urban gardens or organoponicos has a purpose and feeds into the system of production, environmental restoration and energy conservation.

And they were beautiful!

The Cuban experiment in organic food production that is becoming a model for most of the country's small farms is studied by people around the world. Cuba reflects and honors the wisdom of the peasant culture and traditional farming practices. During the Special Period, Cuba needed to go back to traditional methods of farming in order to feed it's people. Today in Cuba, farmers are the highest paid of the legal professions. The numbers of farmers are growing as the agrarian reforms are opening up more and more of state land to those who want to farm. And the land is free for up to 10-25 years as long as its productive.We may see in Cuba's Special Period what life could be for us once the peak oil collapse occurs or as climate change and natural disasters increase.

While those who grow the food in Cuba still lack some of the resources that would make their lives easier, because of the continuing US embargo, they have adapted. Their diets have improved due to the diversity of plants now cultivated and sold in the point of sale (punto de venta) markets, similar to our farmers' markets. Direct sales of food items was approved during the Special Period to encourage everyone to grow food on their urban spaces in Havana and remains a dynamic incentive for food production all over Cuba. Since most food grown for human consumption is organic, Cubans don't need food labels. And organic food is cheaper than imported processed food.

I found Cubans to be creative, inventive, adaptable and artistic all at the same time. Not to mention funny and willing to share. Their farms are a reflection of those who work the land. There are murals on the walls, sculptures peeking out from banana or guava trees. Children come to create art next to raised beds of spinach and celery. A farm does not just feed the belly in Cuba. In order to be successful it must also feed the soul.

I hope you enjoy these postcards from a very special place. And to my companions on the tour, my hosts and guides in Cuba, gracias por todo. I hope to return one day soon.

I encourage others to participate in the next Food First/Food Sovereignty tour in January, 2015. For more information go here.