AGRICULTURA Y LA CIUDAD
communities and urban agriculture in havana, cuba
Overview
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Background
History
 Reactions to the Crisis
 Benefits and Critiques
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Framework
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Case study
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Thomson/Freudenburger 2007
Parque Metropolitano de la Habana
Long Term Sustainability
Changing Cuban Economy
 Urban Planning

History
In the early 60’s the United Stated of America tried to
crush the revolutionary spirit of Cuba with the most
comprehensive trade embargo in history.
 To survive Fidel Castro established powerful trade
relationships to the Soviet bloc.
 85% of Cuba’s trade was with the Soviet block
 Agriculture imports included:
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57% of Cuba’s caloric intake
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80% of all proteins and fats
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80% of all fertilizers and pesticides
In 1989, Cuba ranked 11th in the Overseas Development
Council’s Physical Quality of Life Index, which includes
infant mortality, literacy, and life expectancy.
History
In 1989 the Soviet block began to unravel
 Imports dropped by 73%
 This situation was intensified by:
 the implementation of the Cuba Democracy Act of
1992
 the signing of the Cuba liberty and Democratic
Solidarity Act / Helms-Burton Act of 1996
 tightened the existing trade embargo that
prevented American or American-friendly
countries from selling food or medicine to Cuba

Reactions to Crisis
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A resurrecting of agriculture
Began to transition from conventional, high-input, monocrop intensive
agriculture to smaller organic and semi organic farms
Agriculture transportation was reduced or eliminated due to the sacristy of
oil.
Havana has a population of 2.5 million
The post-Soviet crisis incited a massive popular response to the shortage of
food, first in the form of gardening in and around the home and then
government action to convert all vacant lots to properties of food production.
This government effort was facilitated by the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture
and more specifically, the Urban Agriculture Department
By 1998, there were over 8,000 officially recognized community gardens in
Havana, cultivated by more than 30,000 people and covering
approximately 30% of the available land.
Reactions to Crisis
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Garden sites were established in close proximity to the gardeners’
households.
Land for gardens is obtained through the “Poder Popular” at no cost
Gardeners provided food for their families, gave a significant portion
to childcare centers, hospitals, and needy community members, and
sold the remaining produce for profit.
Many Urban areas now produce up to 60% of all Cuban vegetable
production
Cuba has become practically the only country in the world to begin
implementing a bio-logical pest control program on a national scale
Over 200 centers have been set up
There are over 173 established vermicompost centers, which produce
93,000 tons of natural compost a year using worms.
Benefits of Urban Agriculture

Availability of food
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Vacant lots are used productively
100,000 new jobs have been generated
Rich variety of crops have become available to
communities
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In Havana production of fresh vegetables and herbs has
reached 150g and 200g respectively per capita per
day.
This benefits the environment and promotes a nutritional
culture
Empower People and build community
Critiques of Urban Agriculture
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Conducting organic activities does not mean that
they are sustainable
High irrigation demands
Food Theft
Insufficient research has been done on toxic elements
that may be present in leafy-green vegetables if
crops are located in places with high motor-vehicle
concentration
Smaller farms are less productive
Parque Metropolitano de la Habana
 700
ha plot of “greenspace” within urban Havana
 Surrounded by economically, culturally and racially
diverse neighborhoods
 Established “to create an ecologically, economically
and socially sustainable park for the enjoyment of
Havana’s residents”
 Create
a “green lung” carbon sink for the city
 Provide an example of sustainable landscaping
 Promote economic development
Parque Metropolitano de la Habana
Framework
Thomson and Freudenberger 1997
Characteristics of the Resource

Food and Nutrition

Agricultural Production Potential

Soil Fertility
Nutrients
 Contamination
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Water
Climate
 Availability
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Characteristics of the Community
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User Groups
 PMH
Agroforestry Farm
 Nguyen Van Trói Credit and Service Cooperative
 Small lots used by individual producers
Characteristics of the Rules
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Government support/regulation of urban
agriculture projects
 Free
use of unoccupied, government-owned land for
farming project
 Must
fit government standards and expectations
 Control
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of markets for sales
Credit and Service Cooperative Structure
Local Economic Structure
Incentives
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PMH Agroforestry Farm
 Consistant
salary
 Environmental remediation
 Government support/resources

Nguyen Van Trói Credit and Service Cooperative
 Shared
resources
 Provides source of credit for farmers
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Small lots used by individual producers
 Few
incentives to sustainable land use
Choices
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Where to grow?
Government land
Soil Quality
Relation to market
Outcomes
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Incredibly large, relatively efficient output of food for
local consumption
Establishment of large urban green space
Movement towards self-financing and management
Dependence upon government programs
Subsidy of supplies
 Production quota
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Minimal Economic Incentive for Sustainability
Failure to improve soils
 Limited Crop diversity
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Outcomes Ctd.
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Little Coordination Between Actors
 Multiple
user-groups in a singular space with specific
goals and restrictions
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Is urban agriculture an appropriate component of
the park’s greater objectives?
Looking Forward • Sustainability

Changing Cuban Economy
 Renewal
of imports
 Oil
and chemical fertilizers/pesticides
 Effect of farming technique
 Flight
of workforce
 Increased

availability of alternate
Urban Development and Farming
 Threatened
agricultural land
 The role of urban farming in planning and land
management
Sources
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Cruz, María Caridad, and Roberto Sánchez Medina. Agriculture in the City:
A Key to Sustainability in Havana, Cuba. Ottowa, Canada: International
Development Research Center, 2003.
Mougeot, Luc J. A. "Moving Between the Plan and the Ground: Shifting
Perspectives on Urban Agriculture in Havana, Cuba." Agropolis: the Social,
Political, and Environmental Dimensions of Urban Agriculture. London [u.a.]:
Earthscan, 2008. 153-86. Print.
WARWICK, HUGH. "Cuba's Organic Revolution." Forum for Applied
Research and Public Policy 16.2 (2001): 54. Academic OneFile. Web. 8 Apr.
2010.
Altieri, M., N. Companioni, K. Canizares, C. Murphy, P. Rosset, M. Bourque,
and C. Nicholls. 1999. The greening of the "barrios": Urban agriculture for
food security in Cuba. Agriculture and Human Values 16:131-140.
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