Contribution of cuban peasant agriculture to national production of various crops and animals ( before and after the special period)

Agroecological strategies

Animalintegration

Green manures

Organicamendments

Rotations

Polycultures

Finca “Del Medio” – José A. Casimiro

Sancti Spíritus

Area (ha)

Energy (GJ/ha/año)

Proteín (kg/ha)/año People fed by produced energy(Pers/ha/año)

People fed by produced protein(Pers/ha/año)

10

50.6

867

11

34

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/m2 in intensive gardens systems

Global population: rural versus urban

• By 2050, two-thirds of the planet’s 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 South’s 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 world’s 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.