What is the significance of Cuba’s self-sustainable food production program?
Cuba has achieved self-reliance in its food production. Over the past decade, Cuba has increased domestic food production through dramatically restructuring agricultural production, distribution and marketing systems within an environmentally and socially sustainable framework. Cuba is moving towards food self-sufficiency, due in part to a thriving small-scale farm sector, widespread community and household gardens, and direct marketing networks. Cuban agricultural policy promotes ecologically sustainable production through soil conservation, organic soil inputs, biological pest control, and the reincorporation of rural and urban populations into agriculture. Organic and biologically intensive farming are now producing its results. Much of the Cuban ability to greatly increase food production on small farms came from utilizing this indigenous knowledge. Coupled with experts and extension personnel who were brought in as consultants, this indigenous knowledge was very important, and the
