Cuba's Urban Agriculture

These two documents are excerpts from a Master of Arts thesis completed in 2004 by Janine de la Salle (author) at Dalhousie University in Halifax under the primary supervision of Dr. John Kirk as well as Dr. David Patriquin and Dr. John Devlin. These particular portions of the thesis were selected on the basis that they had the most discussion and description of urban agriculture (UA) in Cuba during the past 15 years in conjunction with a detailed historical context of food security and public policy in Cuba since the beginning of the 20th century. The historical excerpt helps to set the tone for contemporary developments in Cuban food security such as the emergence of UA and is therefore essential. The gist of the entire thesis is given below as the "Thesis Abstract". If you have any questions about this material please contact the author at jsalle@dal.ca (Market photo linked from Havana Journal.)

Until we see a candidate for elective office make the 2000 Watt society and renewable and sustainable urban agriculture the centerpieces of his/her platform, we can conclude in full certainty that these candidates are not meaningful change agents and are fiddling while "Rome" burns - whether out of personal and idiosyncratic ignorance, or because they've been enlisted and handsomely compensated to play a distracting and misleading role - while the wizards of woe continue doing what they know how to do best.

I mean really, what good is a professed change agent who doesn't have a clue about what needs to change, or, lacks the organizational and operational skills, resources, and required authority to implement meaningful change?


On their Leavenworth County farm, Jeff and Pam Meyer of Cal-Ann Farms, above, raise tilapia in a former dairy barn. The nutrient-rich fish wastewater is used to grow 10 varieties of peppers, left. But the farm’s signature crop is basil, top, which the Meyers grow hydroponically.

An applied instance of local change agency requiring knowledge, skill, ability, and a viable social network to help it achieve its promise.