Urban Agriculture Innovation- CUBA

When you think about the minimum amount of calories an individual requires to stay healthy, and then about the amount of people on earth, it remains surprising that the whole infrastructure holding our food production and consumption together hasn’t fallen apart yet.

This type of situation is looming dangerously close however, and if we are to survive it, we must have a solution ready. I think urban agriculture is a viable one. It is the cultivation, processing, and distribution of food in or around the city (peri-urban).¹

Although an old concept, its' most recent applications lend credence to its capability of providing more sustainable urban communities. In the near future sustainability is key, especially because unprecedented growth in urban populations world-wide will occur, and food shortages and other resource issues are expected.² It is therefore of utmost importance that technologies such as urban agriculture be implemented into as many societies as soon as possible.

Luckily, some countries have already tackled the issue- although mostly out of necessity than want.

Cuba is a successful example of farming integrated into the heart of the city. In 1991 the fall of the Soviet Union caused drastic cut backs in fertilizer, fuel and food supplies shipped to Cuba. This led to a severe economic crisis, where food shortages were rampant.

A series of government initiatives led to a solution. Cuba managed to decentralize agricultural production from large state farms to municipal and individual levels. Planning laws prioritized land for food production, and urban gardens soon stood amidst city buildings. Called "agroponicos" or "organoponicos" they allow citizens to grow their own food, and raise livestock.

Hydroponics is one of a variety of techniques used to produce the food. Farms using this agricultural method are located in vacant lots in urban and peri-urban areas. Hydroponic gardening doesn't rely on soil, so it's particularly advantageous in urban settings where land may be scarce. Instead, plants grow in water and are watered by hand or through gravity-fed drip irrigation systems. The garden beds are made from any material blocking light penetration (to avoid algal growth) and are often lined with waterproof black plastic.³

Hydroponic agriculture recycles nutrients, therefore it uses less water than plants grown on soil, and fertilizers can be used from readily available materials such as composted chicken manure.

As well as the material sustainability of urban agriculture, its’ advantages include: the city location of the farms (therefore no transport of produce to consumers is needed), and efficient use of city space.⁴

By 1998, urban gardens produced more than 540, 000 tons of food for consumption in Havana alone. The year after, 4, 347 larger gardens existed. These were on the outskirts of cities and towns, and produced vegetables and herbs for the populace.⁵

Nowadays similar technology and concepts of urban agriculture are being applied in various developing countries to help solve food issues. The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is an example of a corporation involved in these efforts.

Their projects of research include:

• reuse of urban waste by urban agriculture
• urban food insecurity
• urban production and processing of food ⁶

- Andjela Tatarovic

Notes

1. Wikipedia contributors, “Urban Agriculture,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, November 6, 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_agriculture#Economic (accessed November 1, 2009).

2. Christine McGourty, “Global crisis ‘to strike by 2030’,” BBC News, March 19, 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7951838.stm (accessed November 4, 2009).

3. Treena Hein, “Hydroponics-a simple solution to limited land,” New Agriculturist, March, 2007, http://www.new-ag.info/focus/focusItem.php?a=36 (accessed November 3, 2009).

4. Peggy Bradley, Wilfried O. Baudoin, C.V.Prakash, and B.S.Prabhakar, "Simplified Hydroponics to reduce hunger and poverty in India," Institute of Simplified Hydroponics, http://www.carbon.org/senegal/india1.doc (accessed November 3, 2009).

5. Serge F. Kovaleski, "Cuba Goes Green: Government-Run Vegetable Gardens Sprout in Cities Across Island," Cuban Urban Agriculture, November 26, 1999, http://www.cityfarmer.org/CubaGreen.html (accessed November 4, 2009).

6. "International Development Research Centre IDRC (Canada)," Cities Feeding People, October 1996, http://www.cityfarmer.org/IDRCbrochure.html (accessed November 3, 2009).