Journey to Organic Revolution and Evolution: Winter Cuba Tour 2016

This past winter, a group of delegates consisting of a variety of players in the food system came together on our Food Sovereignty Tour to Cuba to learn about Cuba’s food movement.  On this tour, delegates found that inspiration for a transformed food system and delicious food was abundant.

Positive energy keeps the agroecology movement alive in Cuba. Dana Eardley, a participant on the tour, found this to be particularly true after meeting Vilda Figueroa and her husband José Lama. Vilda and José are leaders in this movement who have shared their food sun-drying techniques and the many uses of cassava with their community, the tour delegates, and the rest of Cuba. In addition to their work, what Dana had found so inspiring about the couple was their “sense of determination and sense of resourcefulness and joy,” and after spending some time with them, felt that she better understood “the human spirit that allows their work to continue.” Vilda and José’s commitment to the agroecology movement through their preservation and use of cassava and other crops has allowed for greater food security in their community. In addition to teaching the many ways to eat and treat cassava, the couple has also helped their neighbors start their own gardens.

An equally inspiring site was the visit to El Patio Pelegrin, a community project located about an hour east of la Habana. This project is home to a large organic farm, free workshops in the arts, and more. According to Daniel Vela, an urban farmer from Texas, “you could sense the community within the project.” The small production farm has a family-style feel to it, which is a characteristic that Daniel attributes to its high rates of success. Comparing it to other farms, he found the joyful atmosphere of this one to be inspiring.

“More than agriculture, it was the people that we met,” said Mayra Diaz-Ramirez, a delegate hailing from Redwood City, California. Fellow delegate and student Sophie Fuchs agreed with Mayra, sharing that she was “impressed by the incredible openness and the friendly nature” of each and every person that she met. Participants described their new friends and educators as welcoming, passionate, and warm-hearted, excited to share their stories and knowledge with those who were eager to hear. These characteristics not only applied to the people that they met, but also to their fellow participants on the tour.

As the group’s time in Cuba progressed, participants felt their group of once-strangers becoming a community of friends. “It was reinforcing and inspiring to be among people from all over the US. involved in different aspects of the food system,” said Sophie. Work in this field is not, for any and all players in our food system, an easy job. Without a strong network of support, one can easily feel defeated. Dana felt that everyone was “reassuring one another that we are all working hard towards the same goal.” The support found in one another and the shared passion for the same cause allowed this new community to flourish.

“It was reinforcing and inspiring to be among people from all over the US involved in different aspects of the food system,” said Sophie.

This motivation and inspiration found at the sites and from within one another inspired delegates to create new projects and revamped old ones in their homes. Claire Ransom, a delegate and student from Colorado, completed her thesis about food sovereignty in Cuba. Delegate Kazuto Sekiguchi and friends have created a youth vegetable garden in their community in Japan. Adrian Aguilar is continuing to establish a “food forest” (community garden) in McAllen, Texas. Dana and Daniel are continuing to stay involved through local food policy committees and non-profit organizations, respectively. This trip not only taught participants about the importance of agroecological practices, it also taught them the importance of joining together with other like-minded members of their communities. “Really establishing community can build resilience,” Daniel Vela said when reflecting on his journey. In the months following the tour, delegates have been doing just that; in order to work toward solutions, they have been building their movement at home, increasing interest, and getting as many members engaged as possible.

For more information about our upcoming Food Sovereignty Tours, please visit https://archive.foodfirst.org/tours/our-tours/