Contribution of cuban peasant agriculture to

national production of various crops and

animals ( before and after the special period)
 Agroecological strategies

Polycultu Organic
res amendments

Animal Green
integration manures

Rotations
Finca Del Medio Jos A. Casimiro
Sancti Spritus
 10
Area (ha)
50.6
Energy (GJ/ha/ao)

867
Proten (kg/ha)/ao
People fed by produced energy 11
(Pers/ha/ao)
People fed by produced protein 34
(Pers/ha/ao)

Energy efficiency 30
 Agroecological principles underlying
productivity, sustainablity and viability of
agroecoystems

1. Spatial and temporal genetic and species

diversity at farm and landcape level

2.Crop and animal integration

3. Biologically active soils and high biomass

recyling rates

4. Optimization of the use of space (Agroecological

design)
 Urban
Agriculture
 Urban Agriculture
Approximately 50,000 hectares under urban
agriculture
In 1996, Urban farms provided 8,500 tons of
agricultural produce, 7.5 millions eggs and
3,650 tons of meat
Urban gardens produce about 60% of all
vegetables consumed in Cuba (215 grams of
vegetables per day/person)
Productivity ranges between 10-20 kg/m 2 in
intensive gardens systems
 Global population: rural versus
urban
By 2050, two-thirds of the planets projected 9.2
billion people will be living in cities and that all of
this increase (2.6 billion) will be not only in the
global South but also in the Souths urban areas.
Between now and 2050 at least 1.3 billion people
will migrate be migrated from country to city
in the largest land grab (or enclosure) ever.
Left behind will only be those too old to move and
the indigenous peoples determined to stay.
The best that can be done for the worlds 1.5
billion peasant farmers (again, policymakers are
being told) is to buy them one-way bus tickets to
the city so that the land can be cleared for a
carbohydrate economy that churns out
biomass food, fodder or fuel and, especially,
carbon credits where and as needed.