rebecca's pocket
.: August 2006 --> Cuba's local organic farms now feed the nation
Cuba's local organic farms now feed the nation
» Cuba's USSR-supported economy exchanged "tropical exports" for 63 per cent of its food and 90 per cent of its gasoline. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Cubans found themselves subsisting on half the food they had previously (and without the petroleum needed to manufacture fertilizer and to transport food from farms to consumers). Castro rejected the classic neo-liberal approach of "exporting what you're good at and importing what you need". Instead, Cuba got good at food, and focused on building small farms where the people are. Havana's local gardens now supply its citizens with more than 90 per cent of their fruit and vegetables. (via rw)
Update: Unfortunately, the story has just gone behind a firewall. I'm looking for a copy somewhere on the Web, but so far have not found one. Sorry. Found! Thanks, Melissa!
[ 08.11.06 ]
It would be interesting, though to see some solid numbers and not just percentages of categories that cannot be directly compared. For example, how many X tons of food was Cuba importing from the USSR pre-collapse? How many tons of food do Cuba's small local gardens produce? How many calories per day did the average Cuban consume in 1989? How many do they consume today?
The article did supply the calorie figures, but in retrieving them, I just discovered that the article has gone behind the firewall.
I found a reprint at the Belfast Telegraph:
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/features/story.jsp?story=701761
Thanks, Melissa! And here's the quote I was looking for: