Cuba’s Army of Farmers

After spending the morning weeding in the hot sun soaking up the rhythm of the farm, we sought the comforts of shade and cool water. Just like in a corporate office, the water cooler was the hub of workplace banter. Only here on this one-hectare organic farm in the middle of Cuba, our “co-workers” were a charming collection of retired men, veterans and the odd young career farmer.

In July 2010, I led the Food Sovereignty Tour to Cuba. Our delegation was welcomed by people from all walks of life. We were treated like citizen ambassadors tasked with bringing our view of the Cuban reality back to the U.S. On the farm, however, the ties we created felt less diplomatic and more personal. As one participant, Andy described it, “we were part of something, and we had the opportunity to contribute.” In that contribution, the work felt less hard and the sun less hot.

We lingered on this farm a little longer here than our other stops. We were able to learn as much from our conversations as from simply observing.

The language barrier that our translator, Jesus, tirelessly worked to overcome for the group, diminished in this setting. Everyone at Organoponico Riviera spoke the language of farming.

“El Capote” as the farm cooperative leader is called, is well known in the community for his amazing produce, his wisdom and his beautiful farm. We were surprised, however, by the path that led him to his chief position in an organic agricultural cooperative at age 70. El Capote served for 37 years in the Cuban Army. He traveled to Ethiopia and Venezuela to support their respective revolutionary efforts, and it is in large part thanks to this time in the military that he dedicated his retirement to organic farming.

El Capote learned to farm in the military. The collapse of the Soviet Union cut off Cuba’s primary trade relationship and sent the nation into what is euphemistically referred to as the “Special Period”. Imports plummeted and drastic measures were taken in order to increase local food production. Military service meant both armed defense of the island and protection of national interests, including food. The military sought to produce its own food rather than take it from an already struggling populace. This effort introduced El Capote to low-input, small-scale agriculture. After he retired he was tapped to start an organic farm to help meet the country’s still serious food needs. Massive state-run farms were broken up into small, intensively farmed plots. A boom in small-scale, urban agriculture (Organoponicos) swept across the island nation in order to compensate for the sudden shortage of food and fuel. Much of the move towards urban gardening happened spontaneously: home gardeners commandeered corners of vacant land in cities in an effort to keep food on the table and food production became central to the survival of the Cuban revolution.

When asked why he became a fruit farmer, one man we met explained, “Because in this moment that humanity is living, that specifically our country is living, one of the primary tasks of this revolution, is the production of food for the people. Here we have a very well established concept that the most important task of this moment for any Cuban, patriotic, revolutionary, citizen is to produce food stock for the people.”

El Capote’s career path highlights the less known role of the Cuban Military led by Raúl Castro in contributing to this movement. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, as early as 1987, the armed forces were experimenting with low-input organic agriculture.[i] This experimentation was happening within The National Institute of State Reserves (INRE), which was created in 1981 with the main mission of strengthening the defensive capacity of the country by ensuring self-sufficiency in times of crisis. By 1991, at the request of Raul Castro, this wing of the Armed Forces established the first official Organoponico.[ii]

During our trip the relationship between the military, the revolution and food production in Cuba was a strong theme. Low-input, small-holder food production was the policy direction Cuba took to meet food needs and the army responded. Military man-come-farmer, El Capote spoke about the military’s role in the urban gardening movement with pride, and credited Raúl Castro for being the main promoter of the trend, but his vision of farming goes far beyond national security. He sees organic farming as key to addressing climate change and the degradation of our planet’s natural resources. For him, environmental sustainability is more than a luxury. “We are engaged in a fight to preserve nature,” he said.

He passionately described organic production this way: “It is a beautiful kind of agriculture. People who work in this kind of agriculture get very enthusiastic about it. They fall in love with it as you would with a new boyfriend or girlfriend.”

As he shared with us his outlook, it simply confirmed what we could already see and feel. The enthusiasm among the farmers at Organoponico Riviera was apparent in everything they did. From the fresh coats of paint that the Caribbean sun dried in minutes, to the overflowing bags of fresh picked okra and green beans they generously sent us home with, the farmers we met indeed resembled young newlyweds, only many had sustained their passion for 15 years.

[i] Sío Wong, M. (2010). “Enfrentando la crisis alimentaria.” In Nuestra Historia; aún se está escribiendo. Editora Política, Havana.

[ii] Ibid.