CubaTrade-April2017-FLIPBOOK

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Feeding Havana: The Alamar Organic Farm provides subsidized meals to workers
use that does not use antibiotics, fertilizers,
genetically modified organisms, growth
hormones, or pesticides—has become an
increasingly attractive option for consumers
in the United States and Europe. Cuba
already exports some organic produce to
Europe, but is banned from doing so to
U.S. markets.
Buoyed by the rapprochement
initiated by former U.S. President Barack
Obama, however, numerous U.S. agricultural
groups have sent fact-finding
missions to Cuba, and Cuba’s organic
farming sector has hosted visits from
both the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for
Cuba (USACC) and the Organic Trade
Association. “There could be a huge
market in the U.S. for organic produce
from Cuba,” says Paul Johnson, co-chair
of the USACC. “Unfortunately, this will
not happen until exceptions are made to
the U.S. embargo, or until the embargo is
altogether lifted.”
One of the big hurdles that remains
There could be a huge
market in the U.S. for organic
produce from Cuba
Paul Johnson, co-chair of the USACC
is that Cuba’s land remains 80 percent
government-owned, and current U.S.
policy—even with exceptions—bans the
import of any good that is not produced
by a private enterprise.
Ironically, one byproduct of Cuba’s
recent tourist boom —2016 was a record
year for the island, hosting 4 million
visitors—is causing something of a new
food crunch, even as it brings much needed
cash to the island. Local markets for
Cuban citizens are being drained of the
best produce, which is being snatched up
by palaldares (private restaurants) to feed
hungry visitors in tourist-heavy neighborhoods
in Havana and other cities.
“Today you certainly have an opportunity
to grow the national production of
food to feed that new market [of tourists],”
says Margarita Fernandez. “But
there is a risk that organic food produced
on the island is going to be targeted to the
tourist sector.”
Even so, people like farmer Salcines
López argue that the phenomenon of organic
farming in Cuba has given it a sense
of self-sufficiency that has been absent
in a country which still imports 70 to 80
percent of its food needs.
“There are still mechanical problems
and bureaucratic problems, of course,” Salcines
López says, walking past a majestic
ceiba tree, its branches covering a broad
road near Alamar’s tower blocks, its roots
festooned with objects (candles, chicken
bones) indicating it as a place of veneration
for Cuba’s santería religion. “Here,
organic farming arises out of necessity
and, make no mistake, this farm has had a
profound social impact.” H
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