Another Earth Day Story about Organics- This One from Cuba

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In today's issue of The Dirt from the American Association of Landscape Architects, the story is about Cuba.

The Future of Cuba's Urban Agriculture
Due to the collapse of aid from the Soviet Union and U.S. sanctions in the early 1990s, Cuba moved from a centrally-planned, fossil-fuel based agriculture system to a locally-organized organic urban one, writes Solutions journal. However, with lessening tensions and growing trade with the U.S., there are new concerns that Cuba’s model of self-sufficient green agricultural production will be scrapped.

Farmers and agronomists responded to economic isolation by localizing food production, which has now taken off across Cuba's urban areas. In fact, urban farms in vacant lots in the capital, Havana, and a network of producers across the country now provide 80 percent of the country with local, organic produce and helped turn Cuba into an unintentional leader of the green movement, says Solutions. CBS News adds that most urban farms where organic produce is grown are walking distance from residents.

So, Cubans are eating locally grown organic food grown within walking distance of their homes. Go figure. Then, read the rest of the story at this ASLA link.

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