Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 02:52:51 -0800 From: Hank Roth Written 7:19 pm Mar 29, 1994 by foodfirst@igc.apc.org in igc:dev.foodfirst "Organic Farming in Cuba" Food First Action Alert Institute for Food & Development Policy Please read informational material on the Institute at the end of this piece. THE GREENING OF CUBA: ORGANIC FARMING OFFERS HOPE IN THE MIDST OF CRISIS by Peter Rosset with Shea Cunningham* Times are hard in Cuba. The collapse of the socialist bloc has led to an estimated 85% drop in total external economic relations -- that is exports, imports and foreign aid. The U.S. trade embargo has recently been strengthened through the passage of the Torricelli Act, making it impossible for the West to make up for the bulk of the loss in trade with the socialist bloc. From less than 20 consumer items that were rationed in the mid-eighties, shortages have led to the rationing of everything. There is virtually no item that a Cuban can buy with pesos that does not require a ration card. Food intake by the population may have dropped by as much as 30% since 1989 -- moving Cuba from the top five Latin America countries for both average caloric and average protein intake, to the bottom five, though Bolivia and Haiti are still worse off. Prostitution and petty theft are at their highest point since the 1959 revolution. Amidst the suffering of the Cuban people, however, there have been some remarkable innovations that have not been widely reported outside of Cuba. It is far too early to say whether these developments will be sufficient to help Cuba weather the present storm, but they do offer some hope in contrast to the generally bleak outlook. These changes run from the legalization of small-scale private enterprise, to the privatization of the state farm sector in the form of worker's cooperatives, both within the past six months. This Action Alert focuses on another recent development: the technological transformation of Cuban agriculture in response to a massive drop in pesticide and fertilizer imports. Cuba is presently in the third year of the largest conversion of any nation in history from conventional modern agriculture to large scale organic farming. While this is a calculated risk -- and possibly a life and death gamble -- for the Cuban people, it is also a critically important experiment for the rest of the world. Whether we are citizens of the United States, Mexico, Germany or Thailand, we must all confront the declining productivity and environmental destructiveness of what passes for modern agriculture. As soils are progressively eroded because of their exposure to the elements, compacted by heavy machinery, salinized by excessive irrigation and sterilized with methyl bromide, and as pests become ever more resistant to pesticides, crops yields are in decline, even as aquifers and estuaries are contaminated with agrichemical run-off. Organic farming and other alternative technologies are intensively studied in laboratories and experimental plots worldwide, but examples of implementation by farmers remain scattered and isolated. Cuba offers us the very first large scale test of these alternatives, perhaps our only chance before we are all forced to make this transformation, to see what works and what doesn't, what problems and which solutions will come up along the way. Cuba before and after the collapse of the socialist bloc From the Cuban revolution in 1959 through the collapse of trading relations with the socialist bloc at the end of the 1980s, Cuba's economic development was characterized by rapid modernization, a high degree of social equity and welfare, and strong external dependency. While most quality of life indicators were in the high positive range (see Box 1), Cuba depended upon its socialist trading partners for petroleum, industrial equipment and supplies, agricultural inputs such as fertilizer and pesticides, and foodstuffs -- possibly as much as 57 percent of the total calories consumed by the population. Cuban agriculture was based on large-scale, capital-intensive monoculture, more similar in many ways to the Central Valley of California than to the typical Latin American minifundio or small-scale farm. More than 90% of fertilizers and pesticides, or the ingredients to make them, were imported from abroad. This demonstrates the degree of dependency exhibited by this style of farming, and the vulnerability of the island's economy to international market forces. When trade relations with the socialist bloc collapsed in 1990, pesticide and fertilizer imports dropped by about 80%, and the availability of petroleum for agriculture dropped by a half. Food imports also fell by more than a half. Suddenly, an agricultural system almost as modern and industrialized as that of California was faced with a dual challenge: the need to essentially double food production while more than halving inputs -- and at the same time maintaining export crop production so as not to further erode the country's desperate foreign exchange position. Box 1: Selected social indicators from Cuba in 1989, prior to the collapse of trade relations with the socialist bloc, ranked in comparison to all of Latin America. Category Rank Average daily caloric intake 2 Average daily protein intake 4 Infant mortality lowest Life expectancy 2 Doctors per person 1 Scientists per person 1 Housing per family 1 Tractors per unit of farm land 1 Yields of grain crops 2 Theater attendance 1 Museum attendance 1 Movie attendance 1 Average of health & education indicators 1 Source: Rosset & Benjamin, 1994 Mobilizing science and technology to respond to the crisis In some ways Cuba was uniquely prepared to face this challenge. With only 2 percent of Latin America's population but 11 percent of its scientists and a well developed research infrastructure, the government was able to call for "knowledge-intensive" technological innovation to substitute for the now unavailable inputs. Luckily an "alternative agriculture" movement had taken hold among Cuban researchers as early as 1982, and many promising research results -- which had previously remained relatively unused -- were available for immediate and widespread implementation. The Alternative Model vs. the Classical Model Though the technological changes in agriculture might be viewed pessimistically as short-term responses to crisis, Cubans are quick to claim that this is a long overdue structural transformation. Planning authorities within the Agriculture Ministry have officially declared that all new development of agriculture be based on what they call the "Alternative Model," which they contrast with the "Classical Model" of conventional modern agriculture (see Box 2). They say that the Classical Model was always inappropriate for Cuban conditions, having been imposed by European socialist bloc technicians. In this conceptual framework, the Classical Model is based on extensive monoculture of foreign crop species, primarily for export. It is highly mechanized, and requires a continuous supply of imported technology and inputs. It promotes dependence on international markets and, through mechanization, drives migration of people from rural areas to the city. Finally, it rapidly degrades the basis for continued productivity, through the erosion, compaction and salinization of soils, and the development of pesticide resistance among insect pests and crop diseases. The Alternative Model, on the other hand, seeks to promote ecologically sustainable production by replacing the dependence on heavy farm machinery and chemical inputs with animal traction, crop and pasture rotations, soil conservation, organic soil inputs, biological pest control, and what the Cubans call biofertilizers and biopesticides -- microbial pesticides and fertilizers that are non-toxic to humans. The Alternative Model requires the reincorporation of rural populations into agriculture - through both their labor as well as their knowledge of traditional farming techniques and their active participation in the generation of new, more appropriate technologies. This model is designed to stem the rural-urban flood of migrants, and to provide food security for the nation's population. It is virtually identical to alternatives proposed in the U.S., Latin America, Europe and elsewhere -- differing only in one key respect. While it represents a utopian vision for the rest of us, it is now government policy and agricultural practice in Cuba. Box 2: Translation of a chart circulated to all planning personnel by the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture. "Classical Model vs. Alternative Model" Classical Model (originating fundamentally in developed countries) - External dependence - of the country on other countries - of provinces on the country - of localities on the province & the country - Cutting edge technology - imported raw materials for animal feed - widespread utilization of chemical pesticides and fertilizers - utilization of modern irrigation systems - consumption of fuel and lubricants - Tight relationship between bank credit and production; high interest rates - Priority given to mechanization as a production technology - Introduction of new crops at the expense of autochthonous crops and production systems - Search for efficiency through intensification and mechanization - Real possibility of investing in production and commercialization - Accelerated rural exodus - To satisfy ever increasing needs has ever more ecological or environmental consequences, such as soil erosion, salinization, waterlogging, etc. Alternative Model - Maximum advantage taken of: - the land - human resources of the zone or locality - broad community participation - cutting edge technology, but appropriate to the zone where it is used - organic fertilizers and crop rotation - biological control of pests - biological cycles and seasonality of crops and animals - natural energy sources - hydro (rivers, dams, etc.) - wind - solar - slopes, biomass, etc. - animal traction - rational use of pastures and forage for both grazing and feedlots, search for locally supplied animal nutrition - Diversification of crops and autochthonous production systems based on accumulated knowledge - Introduction of scientific practices that correspond to the particulars of each zone; new varieties of crops and animals, planting densities, seed treatments, post-harvest storage, etc. - Preservation of the environment and the ecosystem - Need for systematic training (management, nutritional, technical) - Systematic technical assistance - Promote cooperation among producers, within and between communities - Obstacles to overcome: - difficulties in the commercialization of agricultural products because of the number of intermediaries. Control over the market and its particulars. - poverty among the peasantry - the distances to markets and urban centers (lack of sufficient roads and means of transport, etc.) - illiteracy Source: Rosset & Benjamin, 1994 A Cuban NGO A rare phenomenon in Cuba - a non-governmental organization, or NGO, is playing a pivotal role in what might be called the institutionalization of the alternative model. The Cuban Association for Organic Farming is composed of ecological agriculture activists ranging from university professors and students to mid-level government functionaries, farmers and farm managers. It is struggling on a shoe-string budget to carry out an educational campaign on the virtues and indeed the necessity of the alternative model. Food First is working with the Association and with a Cuban university -- the Advanced Institute for Agricultural Sciences of Havana (ISCAH) -- on a project to document the transformation of agriculture, with particular emphasis on the evaluation of the efficacy of the new technologies, in terms of economic productivity as well as environmental and social indicators. Conversion from conventional agriculture to organic farming Cuba is undergoing large scale conversion from conventional agriculture to organic or semi-organic farming. Empirical evidence from the U.S. and elsewhere demonstrates that it can take anywhere from three to five years from the initiation of the conversion process to achieve the levels of productivity that prevailed beforehand. That is because it takes time to restore lost soil fertility and to re-establish natural controls of insect and disease populations. Yet Cuba does not have three to five years -- its population must be fed in the short term. Cuban scientists and planners are shortening this process by bringing sophisticated, "cutting edge" biotechnology to bear on the development of new organic farming practices. This not the environmentally dangerous genetic engineering version of biotechnology that we see in U.S. agriculture, but rather a locally controlled variety based on the mass production of naturally occurring organisms to be used as biopesticides and biofertilizers. Cuba is demystifying biotechnology for developing countries -- showing that it does not have to rely on multi-million dollar infrastructure and super-specialized scientists, but rather can be grasped and put into production even on peasant cooperatives. Elements of the Alternative Model During several trips to Cuba I and other agricultural scientists have been able to document the development and implementation of alternatives in the areas of pest and soil management, labor mobilization, and participatory methods for generating new technology. Management of crop pests Among the alternative tactics being used to offer insect control, the most important are conventional biological control based on mass releases of parasitic and predatory insects, and the use of biopesticides. In the latter area, Cuba is substantially more advanced than other Latin American countries and compares favorably to the U.S. Cubans produce numerous formulations of bacterial and fungal diseases of insect pests which are applied to crops in lieu of chemical insecticides. A total of 218 artesanal biotechnology centers located on agricultural cooperatives produce these products of cutting-edge technology for local use. They are typically produced by people in their twenties, born on the cooperative, who have received some university-level training. While industrial production of these biopesticides will soon be under way for use in larger scale farming operations that produce for export, it remains most remarkable that the sons and daughters of campesinos can make the products of biotechnology in remote rural areas. Furthermore, Cuban use of biofertilizers in commercial agriculture is unrivaled in the world, including not only standard Rhizobium inoculants for luguminous crops, but also free living bacteria that make atmospheric nitrogen available for other crops. Perhaps of greatest importance for other developing countries, Cubans are mass producing solubilizing bacteria which make phosphorous, which in many tropical areas is bound to soil particles, available for uptake by crop plants. An experiment that the world should be watching It is unclear whether the widespread implementation of an alternative model of agricultural development will, in conjunction with other government policies, allow Cuba to emerge from the crisis wrought by the collapse of the socialist bloc. As agricultural scientists, environmentalists, and concerned citizens however, we can say that the experiment in agricultural alternatives currently underway in Cuba is unprecedented, with potentially enormous implications for other countries suffering from the declining sustainability of conventional agricultural production. What Can We Do? We call upon the international community to support the efforts of Cuban farmers, scientists and planners to remake their agriculture in a more independent and sustainable fashion, and to pay close attention to the lessons we may learn from both successes and failures in Cuba. One key element of such support is to pressure strenuously for the lifting of the U.S. trade embargo that is causing such suffering among the Cuban people. One simple and important way to participate is to write a letter to President Clinton stating your opposition to the embargo. And, to both learn more about Cuba and to provide international solidarity, join a "Reality Tour" or a "Freedom to Travel Challenge" trip to Cuba with Global Exchange, 2017 Mission St. #303, San Francisco, CA 94110, 415-255-7296. To further support Cuba's new agricultural development strategy, donate money to Food First's collaborative project with the Cuban Association for Organic Farming and the Advanced Institute for Agricultural Sciences of Havana (ISCAH). The University of California at Berkeley and the Latin American Consortium for Agroecology and Development (an NGO network) are also cooperating in this effort. And finally, for more extensive reading on Cuba's agricultural transformation, order The Greening of Cuba: A National Experiment in Organic Agriculture, the new book by Peter Rosset and Medea Benjamin. * Peter Rosset is the Executive Director of the Institute for Food and Development Policy (Food First). He holds a Ph.D in agricultural ecology from the University of Michigan, and recently led the International Scientific Delegation and Fact Finding Mission on Low Input Sustainable Agriculture in Cuba. Shea Cunningham is a research assistant at Food First. The Institute for Food & Development Policy -- Food First -- is a member supported "people's thiunk tank" thast provides the activist community, policy makers, the media, universities and the general public with alternative viewpoints and analyses of the issues of food, hunger and development. If you read this piece and found it useful we would like to consider becoming a member of Food First. Only with the support of people like yourself can we continue to provide our brand of independent analysis -- independent of the government and of major foundations to the extent the individuals like yourself give us your support. Please print out and mail us the following coupon: I'd like to become a member of Food First Here's my tax deductible donation of $30 $50 $100 $______ All members receive Action Alerts and Food First News & Views (by mail, laid out and with photos). $40 or more gives you New Member Plus (includes a one year subscription to The New Internationalist) I wish to earmark additional contributions for Food First's collaborative Cuba project $______ Please send me the following books: The Greening of Cuba: A National Experiment of Organic Agriculture, by Peter Rosset and Medea Benjamin _____$11.95 Biodiversity: Social and Economic Consequences, by Vandana Shiva, et. al. _____$15.00 Family Farming: A New Economic Vision, by Marty Strange _____$7.50 Dark Victory: The US, Structural Adjustment and Global Poverty, by Walden Bello with Shea Cunningham and Bill Rau _____$12.95 Alternatives to the Peace Corps, edited by Annette Olson _____$6.95 Action Alerts: 50 each, 5/$2, 50/$11.50, 100/$17, 500/$65. Minimum order $2. The Greening of Cuba: Organic Farming Offers Hope in the Midst of Crisis Quantity $______ Subtotal $_______ CA residents add 7.5% (Bay Area 8.5%), add $2 per book for shipping $_______ Tax deductable donation $100, $50, $30, $20 $_______Total enclosed Charge my : Visa ___ MC___ card #_________________________Expires____________ Name_________________________Phone#_______________ Address___________________________________________ City/State/Zip____________________________________ Send to: Food First, 398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618 or call: 800-888-3314 or 510-654-4400 or e-mail: foodfirst@igc.apc.org From werner@zzyx.UCSC.EDU Mon Apr 4 22:38:13 1994 Date: Mon, 4 Apr 1994 16:10:42 -0700 From: Mat Werner To: dickr@utxvm.cc.utexas.edu Cc: sanet-mg@oes.orst.edu Subject: Cuba Hello Dick, Yes, I read the Cuba issue of Ag & Human Values ans was very interested. In fact I just visited Cuba, as part of a sustainable ag fact-finding delegation with Paul Gersper of UC-Berkeley and a varied assortment of 2 dozen other US Americans. The Cubans are hungry, and they are doing some very inspiring things to respond to the crisis. Levin's comments were instructive because they gave me a historical context for what is happening in Cuba. Apparently the ecological movement has been growing for some time in Cuba, and conditions in the past 5 years have pushed that movement into the forefront of Cuba's desperate efforts to survive. I hope they can make it, because what they are doing right now can provide a model for the rest of the world. So that when we hit our crisis... I am interested in conntinuing a dialog with other folks who are following Cuban agriculture and environmentalism. Keep in "touch" Matt Werner UCSC Agroecology Program PS. as a soil biologist, my big interest in Cuba was vermiculture, which the Cubans are conducting on a large scale to replace lost fertilizers. I was very impressed. From mlehman5@violet.berkeley.edu Mon Apr 11 09:25:24 1994 Date: Sun, 10 Apr 1994 17:50:35 -0700 (PDT) From: Matthew Lehman To: Matthew Lehman Subject: Organic Farming In Cuba Date: Tue, 5 Apr 1994 22:21:06 GMT Reply-To: Rich Winkel Sender: Activists Mailing List From: Rich Winkel Organization: PACH Subject: Organic Farming in Cuba /** reg.cuba: 282.0 **/ ** Topic: Organic Farming in Cuba ** ** Written 2:52 am Mar 31, 1994 by pnews in cdp:reg.cuba ** /* Written 7:19 pm Mar 29, 1994 by foodfirst in igc:dev.foodfirst */ /* ---------- "Organic Farming in Cuba" ---------- */ ************************************************************* Food First Action Alert Institute for Food & Development Policy Please read informational material on the Institute at the end of this piece. ************************************************************* THE GREENING OF CUBA: ORGANIC FARMING OFFERS HOPE IN THE MIDST OF CRISIS by Peter Rosset with Shea Cunningham* Times are hard in Cuba. The collapse of the socialist bloc has led to an estimated 85% drop in total external economic relations -- that is exports, imports and foreign aid. The U.S. trade embargo has recently been strengthened through the passage of the Torricelli Act, making it impossible for the West to make up for the bulk of the loss in trade with the socialist bloc. From less than 20 consumer items that were rationed in the mid-eighties, shortages have led to the rationing of everything. There is virtually no item that a Cuban can buy with pesos that does not require a ration card. Food intake by the population may have dropped by as much as 30% since 1989 -- moving Cuba from the top five Latin America countries for both average caloric and average protein intake, to the bottom five, though Bolivia and Haiti are still worse off. Prostitution and petty theft are at their highest point since the 1959 revolution. Amidst the suffering of the Cuban people, however, there have been some remarkable innovations that have not been widely reported outside of Cuba. It is far too early to say whether these developments will be sufficient to help Cuba weather the present storm, but they do offer some hope in contrast to the generally bleak outlook. These changes run from the legalization of small-scale private enterprise, to the privatization of the state farm sector in the form of worker's cooperatives, both within the past six months. This Action Alert focuses on another recent development: the technological transformation of Cuban agriculture in response to a massive drop in pesticide and fertilizer imports. Cuba is presently in the third year of the largest conversion of any nation in history from conventional modern agriculture to large scale organic farming. While this is a calculated risk -- and possibly a life and death gamble -- for the Cuban people, it is also a critically important experiment for the rest of the world. Whether we are citizens of the United States, Mexico, Germany or Thailand, we must all confront the declining productivity and environmental destructiveness of what passes for modern agriculture. As soils are progressively eroded because of their exposure to the elements, compacted by heavy machinery, salinized by excessive irrigation and sterilized with methyl bromide, and as pests become ever more resistant to pesticides, crops yields are in decline, even as aquifers and estuaries are contaminated with agrichemical run-off. Organic farming and other alternative technologies are intensively studied in laboratories and experimental plots worldwide, but examples of implementation by farmers remain scattered and isolated. Cuba offers us the very first large scale test of these alternatives, perhaps our only chance before we are all forced to make this transformation, to see what works and what doesn't, what problems and which solutions will come up along the way. Cuba before and after the collapse of the socialist bloc >From the Cuban revolution in 1959 through the collapse of trading relations with the socialist bloc at the end of the 1980s, Cuba's economic development was characterized by rapid modernization, a high degree of social equity and welfare, and strong external dependency. While most quality of life indicators were in the high positive range (see Box 1), Cuba depended upon its socialist trading partners for petroleum, industrial equipment and supplies, agricultural inputs such as fertilizer and pesticides, and foodstuffs -- possibly as much as 57 percent of the total calories consumed by the population. Cuban agriculture was based on large-scale, capital-intensive monoculture, more similar in many ways to the Central Valley of California than to the typical Latin American minifundio or small-scale farm. More than 90% of fertilizers and pesticides, or the ingredients to make them, were imported from abroad. This demonstrates the degree of dependency exhibited by this style of farming, and the vulnerability of the island's economy to international market forces. When trade relations with the socialist bloc collapsed in 1990, pesticide and fertilizer imports dropped by about 80%, and the availability of petroleum for agriculture dropped by a half. Food imports also fell by more than a half. Suddenly, an agricultural system almost as modern and industrialized as that of California was faced with a dual challenge: the need to essentially double food production while more than halving inputs -- and at the same time maintaining export crop production so as not to further erode the country's desperate foreign exchange position. ------------------------------------------------------------- Box 1: Selected social indicators from Cuba in 1989, prior to the collapse of trade relations with the socialist bloc, ranked in comparison to all of Latin America. ------------------------------------------------------------- Category Rank Average daily caloric intake 2 Average daily protein intake 4 Infant mortality lowest Life expectancy 2 Doctors per person 1 Scientists per person 1 Housing per family 1 Tractors per unit of farm land 1 Yields of grain crops 2 Theater attendance 1 Museum attendance 1 Movie attendance 1 Average of health & education indicators 1 ------------------------------------------------------------- Source: Rosset & Benjamin, 1994 Mobilizing science and technology to respond to the crisis In some ways Cuba was uniquely prepared to face this challenge. With only 2 percent of Latin America's population but 11 percent of its scientists and a well developed research infrastructure, the government was able to call for "knowledge-intensive" technological innovation to substitute for the now unavailable inputs. Luckily an "alternative agriculture" movement had taken hold among Cuban researchers as early as 1982, and many promising research results -- which had previously remained relatively unused -- were available for immediate and widespread implementation. The Alternative Model vs. the Classical Model Though the technological changes in agriculture might be viewed pessimistically as short-term responses to crisis, Cubans are quick to claim that this is a long overdue structural transformation. Planning authorities within the Agriculture Ministry have officially declared that all new development of agriculture be based on what they call the "Alternative Model," which they contrast with the "Classical Model" of conventional modern agriculture (see Box 2). They say that the Classical Model was always inappropriate for Cuban conditions, having been imposed by European socialist bloc technicians. In this conceptual framework, the Classical Model is based on extensive monoculture of foreign crop species, primarily for export. It is highly mechanized, and requires a continuous supply of imported technology and inputs. It promotes dependence on international markets and, through mechanization, drives migration of people from rural areas to the city. Finally, it rapidly degrades the basis for continued productivity, through the erosion, compaction and salinization of soils, and the development of pesticide resistance among insect pests and crop diseases. The Alternative Model, on the other hand, seeks to promote ecologically sustainable production by replacing the dependence on heavy farm machinery and chemical inputs with animal traction, crop and pasture rotations, soil conservation, organic soil inputs, biological pest control, and what the Cubans call biofertilizers and biopesticides -- microbial pesticides and fertilizers that are non-toxic to humans. The Alternative Model requires the reincorporation of rural populations into agriculture - through both their labor as well as their knowledge of traditional farming techniques and their active participation in the generation of new, more appropriate technologies. This model is designed to stem the rural-urban flood of migrants, and to provide food security for the nation's population. It is virtually identical to alternatives proposed in the U.S., Latin America, Europe and elsewhere -- differing only in one key respect. While it represents a utopian vision for the rest of us, it is now government policy and agricultural practice in Cuba. ------------------------------------------------------------- Box 2: Translation of a chart circulated to all planning personnel by the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture. "Classical Model vs. Alternative Model" ------------------------------------------------------------- Classical Model (originating fundamentally in developed countries) - External dependence - of the country on other countries - of provinces on the country - of localities on the province & the country - Cutting edge technology - imported raw materials for animal feed - widespread utilization of chemical pesticides and fertilizers - utilization of modern irrigation systems - consumption of fuel and lubricants - Tight relationship between bank credit and production; high interest rates - Priority given to mechanization as a production technology - Introduction of new crops at the expense of autochthonous crops and production systems - Search for efficiency through intensification and mechanization - Real possibility of investing in production and commercialization - Accelerated rural exodus - To satisfy ever increasing needs has ever more ecological or environmental consequences, such as soil erosion, salinization, waterlogging, etc. Alternative Model - Maximum advantage taken of: - the land - human resources of the zone or locality - broad community participation - cutting edge technology, but appropriate to the zone where it is used - organic fertilizers and crop rotation - biological control of pests - biological cycles and seasonality of crops and animals - natural energy sources - hydro (rivers, dams, etc.) - wind - solar - slopes, biomass, etc. - animal traction - rational use of pastures and forage for both grazing and feedlots, search for locally supplied animal nutrition - Diversification of crops and autochthonous production systems based on accumulated knowledge - Introduction of scientific practices that correspond to the particulars of each zone; new varieties of crops and animals, planting densities, seed treatments, post-harvest storage, etc. - Preservation of the environment and the ecosystem - Need for systematic training (management, nutritional, technical) - Systematic technical assistance - Promote cooperation among producers, within and between communities - Obstacles to overcome: - difficulties in the commercialization of agricultural products because of the number of intermediaries. Control over the market and its particulars. - poverty among the peasantry - the distances to markets and urban centers (lack of sufficient roads and means of transport, etc.) - illiteracy ------------------------------------------------------------- Source: Rosset & Benjamin, 1994 A Cuban NGO A rare phenomenon in Cuba - a non-governmental organization, or NGO, is playing a pivotal role in what might be called the institutionalization of the alternative model. The Cuban Association for Organic Farming is composed of ecological agriculture activists ranging from university professors and students to mid-level government functionaries, farmers and farm managers. It is struggling on a shoe-string budget to carry out an educational campaign on the virtues and indeed the necessity of the alternative model. Food First is working with the Association and with a Cuban university -- the Advanced Institute for Agricultural Sciences of Havana (ISCAH) -- on a project to document the transformation of agriculture, with particular emphasis on the evaluation of the efficacy of the new technologies, in terms of economic productivity as well as environmental and social indicators. Conversion from conventional agriculture to organic farming Cuba is undergoing large scale conversion from conventional agriculture to organic or semi-organic farming. Empirical evidence from the U.S. and elsewhere demonstrates that it can take anywhere from three to five years from the initiation of the conversion process to achieve the levels of productivity that prevailed beforehand. That is because it takes time to restore lost soil fertility and to re-establish natural controls of insect and disease populations. Yet Cuba does not have three to five years -- its population must be fed in the short term. Cuban scientists and planners are shortening this process by bringing sophisticated, "cutting edge" biotechnology to bear on the development of new organic farming practices. This not the environmentally dangerous genetic engineering version of biotechnology that we see in U.S. agriculture, but rather a locally controlled variety based on the mass production of naturally occurring organisms to be used as biopesticides and biofertilizers. Cuba is demystifying biotechnology for developing countries -- showing that it does not have to rely on multi-million dollar infrastructure and super-specialized scientists, but rather can be grasped and put into production even on peasant cooperatives. Elements of the Alternative Model During several trips to Cuba I and other agricultural scientists have been able to document the development and implementation of alternatives in the areas of pest and soil management, labor mobilization, and participatory methods for generating new technology. Management of crop pests Among the alternative tactics being used to offer insect control, the most important are conventional biological control based on mass releases of parasitic and predatory insects, and the use of biopesticides. In the latter area, Cuba is substantially more advanced than other Latin American countries and compares favorably to the U.S. Cubans produce numerous formulations of bacterial and fungal diseases of insect pests which are applied to crops in lieu of chemical insecticides. A total of 218 artesanal biotechnology centers located on agricultural cooperatives produce these products of cutting-edge technology for local use. They are typically produced by people in their twenties, born on the cooperative, who have received some university-level training. While industrial production of these biopesticides will soon be under way for use in larger scale farming operations that produce for export, it remains most remarkable that the sons and daughters of campesinos can make the products of biotechnology in remote rural areas. Furthermore, Cuban use of biofertilizers in commercial agriculture is unrivaled in the world, including not only standard Rhizobium inoculants for luguminous crops, but also free living bacteria that make atmospheric nitrogen available for other crops. Perhaps of greatest importance for other developing countries, Cubans are mass producing solubilizing bacteria which make phosphorous, which in many tropical areas is bound to soil particles, available for uptake by crop plants. An experiment that the world should be watching It is unclear whether the widespread implementation of an alternative model of agricultural development will, in conjunction with other government policies, allow Cuba to emerge from the crisis wrought by the collapse of the socialist bloc. As agricultural scientists, environmentalists, and concerned citizens however, we can say that the experiment in agricultural alternatives currently underway in Cuba is unprecedented, with potentially enormous implications for other countries suffering from the declining sustainability of conventional agricultural production. What Can We Do? We call upon the international community to support the efforts of Cuban farmers, scientists and planners to remake their agriculture in a more independent and sustainable fashion, and to pay close attention to the lessons we may learn from both successes and failures in Cuba. One key element of such support is to pressure strenuously for the lifting of the U.S. trade embargo that is causing such suffering among the Cuban people. One simple and important way to participate is to write a letter to President Clinton stating your opposition to the embargo. And, to both learn more about Cuba and to provide international solidarity, join a "Reality Tour" or a "Freedom to Travel Challenge" trip to Cuba with Global Exchange, 2017 Mission St. #303, San Francisco, CA 94110, 415-255-7296. To further support Cuba's new agricultural development strategy, donate money to Food First's collaborative project with the Cuban Association for Organic Farming and the Advanced Institute for Agricultural Sciences of Havana (ISCAH). The University of California at Berkeley and the Latin American Consortium for Agroecology and Development (an NGO network) are also cooperating in this effort. And finally, for more extensive reading on Cuba's agricultural transformation, order The Greening of Cuba: A National Experiment in Organic Agriculture, the new book by Peter Rosset and Medea Benjamin. ************************************************************* * Peter Rosset is the Executive Director of the Institute for Food and Development Policy (Food First). He holds a Ph.D in agricultural ecology from the University of Michigan, and recently led the International Scientific Delegation and Fact Finding Mission on Low Input Sustainable Agriculture in Cuba. Shea Cunningham is a research assistant at Food First. ************************************************************* The Institute for Food & Development Policy -- Food First -- is a member supported "people's thiunk tank" thast provides the activist community, policy makers, the media, universities and the general public with alternative viewpoints and analyses of the issues of food, hunger and development. If you read this piece and found it useful we would like to consider becoming a member of Food First. Only with the support of people like yourself can we continue to provide our brand of independent analysis -- independent of the government and of major foundations to the extent the individuals like yourself give us your support. Please print out and mail us the following coupon: ------------------------------------------------------------- I'd like to become a member of Food First Here's my tax deductible donation of $30 $50 $100 $______ All members receive Action Alerts and Food First News & Views (by mail, laid out and with photos). $40 or more gives you New Member Plus (includes a one year subscription to The New Internationalist) I wish to earmark additional contributions for Food First's collaborative Cuba project $______ Please send me the following books: The Greening of Cuba: A National Experiment of Organic Agriculture, by Peter Rosset and Medea Benjamin _____$11.95 Biodiversity: Social and Economic Consequences, by Vandana Shiva, et. al. _____$15.00 Family Farming: A New Economic Vision, by Marty Strange _____$7.50 Dark Victory: The US, Structural Adjustment and Global Poverty, by Walden Bello with Shea Cunningham and Bill Rau _____$12.95 Alternatives to the Peace Corps, edited by Annette Olson _____$6.95 Action Alerts: 50 each, 5/$2, 50/$11.50, 100/$17, 500/$65. Minimum order $2. The Greening of Cuba: Organic Farming Offers Hope in the Midst of Crisis Quantity $______ Subtotal $_______ CA residents add 7.5% (Bay Area 8.5%), add $2 per book for shipping $_______ Tax deductable donation $100, $50, $30, $20 $_______Total enclosed Charge my : Visa ___ MC___ card #_________________________Expires____________ Name_________________________Phone#_______________ Address___________________________________________ City/State/Zip____________________________________ Send to: Food Fist, 398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618 or call: 800-888-3314 or 510-654-4400 or e-mail: foodfirst@igc.apc.org ------------------------------------------------------------- ** End of text from cdp:reg.cuba ** *************************************************************************** This material came from PeaceNet, a non-profit progressive networking service. For more information, send a message to peacenet-info@igc.apc.org *************************************************************************** >