On 10 Aug 2001, at 10:20, Steve Diver wrote:
BOSTON, MA (July 20, 2001) - A new report by Oxfam America states that despite the U.S. embargo of the island, Cuba has successfully turned a severe food crisis into a sustained recovery in food production.
"More developing countries should pay attention to Cuban agriculture," states Minor Sinclair, one of the authors of Going Against the Grain: Agricultural Crisis and Transformation in Cuba. "Cuba is seen as the anti-model right now, but many of its agricultural policies may well be the wave of the future for developing countries."
The report finds that by decentralizing agricultural production, initiating ecological practices and opening farmers markets, Cuba has been able to turn around the severe crisis of the1990s. While the World Health Organization recommends an intake of 2,700 calories per day, the caloric intake in Cuba reached its low point of 1,863 calories per capita in 1994. However, the caloric intake in Cuba has since climbed 40%.
"Cuba's countryside has changed dramatically over the past five years," added Sinclair. "Farmers markets are filled with produce and bustling with vendors. Few other countries have been able to restructure their agricultural economy and still leave small farmers in a better position."
Cuba has a unique model for agriculture, with land reform laws limiting the size of private landholdings and the government mixing market mechanisms with state controls.
Cuban farmers are also doing more with less, the report finds. Imports of pesticides and herbicides actually dropped from 1995 to 1998, yet food production rose over the same period. Animal traction has replaced tractors in many farms and organic fertilizers and pest controls are used instead of expensive chemical-based inputs.
The full report and a Spanish-language executive summary as well as other papers on Cuba are available on the Oxfam America website at http://www.oxfamamerica.org/cuba
For additional printed copies, contact the Communications Department at Oxfam America (617) 728-2438/e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Copying is permitted for educational or non-commercial use.
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"For some, talk of "sustainable agriculture" sounds like a luxury the poor can ill afford. But in truth it is good science, addressing real needs and delivering real results. For too long it has been the preserve of environmentalists and a few aid charities. It is time for the major agricultural research centres and their funding agencies to join the revolution."
THE GREENER REVOLUTION February 3, 2001 Editorial, New Scientist http://www.newscientist.com/editorial/editorial_227629.html