The Real Green Revolution - Greenpeace UK

tobacco, corn, cassava, squash, tomatoes
and improved grassland. It is also proving
effective against mosquito larvae that
carry human diseases.
• Beauvaria bassiana – effective against
coleopteran pests (beetles) such as the
sweet potato and plantain weevils.
Little reliable data is available concerning the
volume of production or the efficacy of these
treatments. Their method of production is
of some interest, as they are produced in
more than 200 ‘artisanal’ production units,
spread around the country and specialising
in products
required in their area. They employ a
mixture of graduate technicians and high
school graduates and are probably the only
places in the world where ‘the sons and
daughters of local campesinos make modern
biotechnological products for local use’
(Rossett and Benjamin, 1996).
This system is not without its weaknesses:
quality control can be difficult to manage
within a decentralised system, and shortages
of raw materials (both natural and
manufactured) can hinder production. In the
first few years following the US-led embargo,
Cuba’s crop yields fell dramatically and there
were significant food shortages, especially for
protein. Since that time there have been
marked differences in the success of the
different sections of agricultural economy.
Production in the private sector (a mix of
individual campesinos and co-operatives)
recovered rapidly and now exceeds pre-crisis
levels. Here, peasant farmers drew upon
traditional knowledge (of their parents and
grandparents), and the agricultural ministry
ran agricultural workshops to help people
rediscover (and then disseminate) this
knowledge, which has been supplemented
by access to new biotechnology in a fruitful
marriage of science and tradition.
The highly centralised state farms did not
fare well in adjusting to the change to
organic agriculture, the logic of large-scale
plantations and centralised management
being antithetical to the principles of organic
management. In 1993 Cuba radically
reorganised some state farms into small
co-operative production units, still owned
by the state and required to meet production
targets, but managed on a decentralised basis
with surpluses free to be distributed as co-op
members saw fit. The number of draft
animals (oxen) has more than doubled over
the past five years, reflecting the need to
minimise fuel imports and providing valuable
sources of fertility. In addition, family-run
food gardens (Autoconsumos) in cities have
become an important source of food supply.
Despite these moves towards a more org a n i c
system of agriculture, the system retains a
dependency on artificial fertilisers and bre a k i n g
up a long established mono-crop plantation
economy is a lengthy process. Despite this
65% of Cuba’s rice and nearly 50% of fre s h
vegetables are now produced org a n i c a l l y.
Many of the technological and management
practices adopted here may have a bro a d e r
relevance for other regions and countries.
E x p o rts of biocides and technical know-how
and the publication of a Journal ‘Agricultura
O rganica’, all contribute to Cuba playing a
leading role in the organic movement.
( S o u rces: Rossett and Benjamin 1994, Echevarr i a
et al. 2000a & b; Institute for Food and
Development Policy 2000; Scialabba, 2000,
K i l c h e r, pers. comm.)
Valorising indigenous knowledge
The cultural importance of organic
agriculture and agroecology lies in their
ability to draw upon and validate local and
traditional forms and sources of knowledge
(Kotschi, 2000). This point is frequently
reinforced throughout the literature
(especially that of agroecology) and is a
theme that frequently occurs within our case
studies. A number of important consequences
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