In the 1990s, Cuba reached “Peak Oil” (the point at which
oil rate of production peaks and then heads into a steady decline) after the
Soviet Union cut off all oil exports to them. There was an immediate crisis in
Cuba often referred to as “The Special Period,” which included frequent black
outs and shortages of food. The Cubans were forced to come up with alternatives,
first, after the downfall of the Soviets and then, the embargo with America in
1992. So, how did they survive?
 |
| They reused the beer bottles to store tomato paste |
They changed their ways to more sustainable practices. The
Soviets originally supplied the Cubans with large amounts of fertilizers and
pesticides. Once they cut off their supply, the Cubans adopted sustainable
practices to include composting, crop rotation, green manure and worm humus (richer
humus worms produce after they consume organic compost). From the 1980s to
present day, Cubans were able to reduce their use of pesticides from 21,000 to
1,000 tons. Now, 80% of their agriculture is organic (without pesticides). Even
more, the produce Cubans consume is grown locally though urban agriculture and
other methods. Because farmers are able to provide food and money for their family, farming is considered
one of the best jobs in Cuba.
 |
| To store the heat from the sun |
I asked one farmer who works on an organic farm if Cubans
would use pesticides if they were accessible to them. He responded that he
wouldn’t because he realizes the damage it would do to human health and the
health of the land. As of right now, pesticides are quite limited and expensive
in Cuba due to its embargo with the US. I only wonder what will happen when the
embargo is lifted. Will Cuban farmers fall victim to the low prices and high
production? Or will they use what they learned from the past to resist these
harmful chemicals?
 |
| The best meal I have ever had- and it was all organic! |
When will America hop on board to an agricultural system
based on the well-being of human health and the earth instead of the
fast-paced, mass-producing ways of a backward society? Will we only be able to
reach this turning point when we hit “Peak Oil” production or will we be able
to start moving in the right direction of sustainable agriculture without being
“forced” into it?
These pictures are all from Organoponico Vivero Alamar, an organic farm outside Havanna, Cuba
Many people look down on Cuba and consider the US ahead of
their time. However, after I visited Cuba and watched the documentary, The Power of Community: How Cuba
Survived Peak Oil, I learned that it is ahead of the US in a few ways. 
In the 1990s, Cuba reached “Peak Oil” (the point at which
oil rate of production peaks and then heads into a steady decline) after the
Soviet Union cut off all oil exports to them. There was an immediate crisis in
Cuba often referred to as “The Special Period,” which included frequent black
outs and shortages of food. The Cubans were forced to come up with alternatives,
first, after the downfall of the Soviets and then, the embargo with America in
1992. So, how did they survive?
They changed their ways to more sustainable practices. The
Soviets originally supplied the Cubans with large amounts of fertilizers and
pesticides. Once they cut off their supply, the Cubans adopted sustainable
practices to include composting, crop rotation, green manure and worm humus (richer
humus worms produce after they consume organic compost). From the 1980s to
present day, Cubans were able to reduce their use of pesticides from 21,000 to
1,000 tons. Now, 80% of their agriculture is organic (without pesticides). Even
more, the produce Cubans consume is grown locally though urban agriculture and
other methods. Because farmers are able to provide food and money for their family, farming is considered
one of the best jobs in Cuba.
I asked one farmer who works on an organic farm if Cubans
would use pesticides if they were accessible to them. He responded that he
wouldn’t because he realizes the damage it would do to human health and the
health of the land. As of right now, pesticides are quite limited and expensive
in Cuba due to its embargo with the US. I only wonder what will happen when the
embargo is lifted. Will Cuban farmers fall victim to the low prices and high
production? Or will they use what they learned from the past to resist these
harmful chemicals? 
When will America hop on board to an agricultural system
based on the well-being of human health and the earth instead of the
fast-paced, mass-producing ways of a backward society? Will we only be able to
reach this turning point when we hit “Peak Oil” production or will we be able
to start moving in the right direction of sustainable agriculture without being
“forced” into it? 
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