Agroecology and the Development of Indicators of Food Sovereignty in Cuban Food Systems

Reardon, Juan Alberto Simón; Pérez, Reinaldo Alemán

doi:10.1080/10440046.2010.519205

Cited by 42 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Thus, sustainable agriculture based on low external inputs remains an important strategy for Cuban food production 19 . Thus, sustainable agriculture based on low external inputs remains an important strategy for Cuban food production 19 .…”

Section: The Role Of Farmers In Mitigating the Crisismentioning

confidence: 99%

Farmers' experiments in Cuba

Leitgeb

Kummer

Funes-Monzote

et al. 2012

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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Due to the collapse of the socialist systems in 1989, Cuba's government promoted a series of structural changes to deal with resource scarcity and to enhance agricultural productivity. The upcoming crisis triggered adaptation strategies and led to a large-scale transition process towards a more sustainable model of agriculture. Farmers' experiments have been an implicit part of this process. Nowadays, farmers' capacity to experiment is widely accepted among the scientific community. However, detailed descriptions of farmers' approaches to experimentation are scarce. In this study, we examine the topics, resources, sources, motives, methods and outcomes of farmers' experiments in Cuba. The research methods comprised semi-structured interviews with 72 Cuban farmers, field notes, participant observation and a research diary. Key informants and 34 expert interviews added important insights into analysis. The results reveal that farmers' experiments are an integral part of farming in Cuba. Most farmers reported realizing their own experiments on their farms. The use of locally available resources was a crucial element for farmers' experiments. The topics were related to the introduction of new plant species or varieties, plant production, mechanization, fertilization, plant protection and the introduction of new animal species. The farmers' own idea was the most important source for experimenting, followed by ideas offered by colleagues and family members. Increasing production, independence from external resources and improving farm management were the main motives for experimenting. More than half of the farmers started to experiment without detailed written or mental planning, but made some considerations about the experiment before starting. Some planned more in detail and a few farmers devised a written plan, draft or model. Starting on a small scale was a way to minimize risks. The experiments were mainly evaluated by observation and comparison. Only a few farmers took records of their experiments. The most important outcomes were higher production, food selfsufficiency, work easement, improved plant health, increased knowledge, higher working efficiency and better taste of products. Farmers' experiments are a means of learning and they enhance farmers' capacity to adapt to changing conditions.

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Section: The Role Of Farmers In Mitigating the Crisismentioning

confidence: 99%

Farmers' experiments in Cuba

Leitgeb

Kummer

Funes-Monzote

et al. 2012

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Food sovereignty advocates point to the role of global agricultural intensification in land and soil degradation, water pollution, loss of biodiversity and climate change, and advocate for a transition to agro‐ecological production practices (Simón Reardon and Pérez ; Rosset and Martinez‐Torres ; Sage ). Agro‐ecological farming systems incorporate low‐input, diversified (and often organic) cultivation methods that aim to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem function, and enhance livelihood provision and community well‐being (de Schutter ; Tomich et al.…”

Section: Results: Are Mediated Markets a Pathway To Food Sovereignty?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Sovereignty and Fome Zero: Connecting Public Food Procurement Programmes to Sustainable Rural Development in Brazil

Wittman

Blesh

2015

Journal of Agrarian Change

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The global discourse on food sovereignty suggests several mechanisms for improving food security and agricultural livelihoods, including redistributive land reform and restructuring of markets to improve food distribution and access. In Brazil, the Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) social welfare programme has created innovative links between public nutrition and food security programmes and rural development initiatives through mediated market support for the family farm sector. We report on a participatory assessment of the experience of land reform beneficiaries in seven municipalities in Mato Grosso, Brazil, who were contracted to produce food for the Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos (Food Procurement Programme, PAA) and the Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar (National School Feeding Programme, PNAE) under the umbrella of Fome Zero. This analysis offers insight into the opportunities and challenges related to participation in mediated ‘farm‐to‐institution’ food procurement programmes, and assesses their influence on key food sovereignty principles, including agro‐ecological transition, increased market stability and farmer autonomy.

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“…In contrast, agroecology and food sovereignty revert to long-proven agricultural practices, enhanced with newer but well-tested knowledge, and which provide sustainable use of resources, stronger biodiversity, and more resilience to environmental change, while delivering high levels of outputs (Altieri and Koohafkan 2008;Altieri 2009;McIntyre et al 2009;de Schutter 2010;Vasilikiotis 2010;Vía Campesina 2010). This alternative model also rests on a sociopolitical organization of decentralized and democratized power over production, distribution, and access to food that has proven robust at times of crisis (for the example of Cuba, see Wright 2009;Reardon and Perez 2010;Machín Sosa et al 2010;). …”

Section: Circular Metabolismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To enable the circular metabolic objective of eliminating agrochemical inputs and reduce energy use, these will need to be substituted with higher labor intensity; smaller production scales; cooperative and reciprocity arrangements; and the de-globalization, localization, and shortening of commodity chainstransformed into proximity trading webs. It will also require the rebuilding of resilient agrobiodiversity, as well as a rich and dispersed knowledge in agroecological metabolism (Rosset 2003;Weis 2007;Friedmann and McNair 2008;Ploeg 2008;Altieri 2009;Weis 2010;Reardon and Perez 2010).…”

Section: Circular Metabolismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Viet Nam’s Food Security: A Castle of Cards in the Winds of Climate Change

Fortier

2013

On the Frontiers of Climate and Environmental Change

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ABSTRACT. Since the 1980s, Viet Nam has achieved rapid economic growth and greatly increased food production and security. Those results are based, however, on a model of industrial agriculture that has inherent social and environmental limitations and increasingly faces the structural constraints of climate change. This article questions industrial agriculture, in general and through the case of Viet Nam, and its ability to sustain outputs and food security through the emerging crisis. It argues that while agroindustrial technologies and commodification are making the country particularly vulnerable to the imprecise and shifting context of a multifaceted crisis, the dominant response of the green economy, in Viet Nam as elsewhere, rests on unsubstantiated technological and institutional assumptions. Unchanged, such strategy will most likely lead to the collapse of Vietnamese agricultural production and a surge of food insecurity. In such a strategic vacuum, the article explores how agroecology offers a viable alternative, in parallel with the organization of production, distribution, and consumption through principles of food sovereignty.

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Agroecology and the Development of Indicators of Food Sovereignty in Cuban Food Systems

Cited by 42 publications

References 2 publications

Farmers' experiments in Cuba

Farmers' experiments in Cuba

Food Sovereignty and Fome Zero: Connecting Public Food Procurement Programmes to Sustainable Rural Development in Brazil

Viet Nam’s Food Security: A Castle of Cards in the Winds of Climate Change

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