Sustainable agriculture and urban gardens in Cuba

The conference „Sustainable agriculture and urban gardens in Cuba“ will take place from May 5 to 15, 2010. An optional research tour will follow from May 16 to 20, 2010. Global Exchange and Food First co-organized the first U.S. Delegation to Cuba focused on sustainable agriculture in 1993, then co-authored the seminal book on the subject, The Greening of Cuba, and collaborated on an award winning video of the same title. Global Exchange organizes regular delegations of professors and practitioners of organic agriculture to Cuba, who have developed exchange programs through their universities and communities.

Due to the severe shortage of hard currency for the importation of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, Cuba began, in the early 1990's, to practise organic agriculture on a nationwide scale, with some very exciting results. There are currently tens of thousands of organic gardens in Havana alone and over a million across the country.

In the late 1990's, the Cuban Association for Organic Agriculture was granted the International Right Livelihood Award (the Alternative Nobel Prize) for its efforts. Organic agriculture continues to be supported and expanded at government and grassroots levels. Havana now grows over half its fresh food organically and locally. Cuba hopes to be self sufficient in the production of many of its basic foods within the next decade. All Cuban young people are introduced to agriculture and food production as part of their education, spending at least one summer during their high school years, farming in the countryside.


Food First