Cuban Agriculture Policy

Lessons for Minneapolis

Robin Garwood
Policy Aide to
Council Member Cam Gordon

A bit of history
Pre-revolution
Revolution
Special Period
USSR
USA
Inputs, imports
1,800 kCal/day

Cuban policy responses

Cuba adopted many policies that favor local,
low-input agroecological food production:
Land access
Soil building
Coops
Markets
Government support
Farm lobby
Academia

Not all are transferable to Minneapolis, but all

offer inspiration for local policy

The tour
Twelve local food folks from Mpls/St.
Paul
Growers, coops, policymakers staff,
educators
FoodFirst

Glossary
Agroecology
Food Sovereignty

Land access in Cuba:

The government allows
small farmers to access up
to 168 hectares (or 415
acres) for up to 20 years in
usufruct
Usufruct: the farmer has
access to the land as long
as its kept in active food
production
Many large state-owned
farms were transitioned to
cooperative ownership and
operation

Land access ideas for Mpls:

Open more government-owned land to farming
Allow a form of usufruct in the Twin Cities by giving
long term leases of government-owned land for
farmers
Allow continuous use by a farmer as long as the land is
used for growing food

Agricultural land trust model

NGO acts in government role

Regulatory model
Place deed restrictions on sold land to keep it in
agricultural production

Land outside Mpls (Met Council, etc.)

Composting and soil-building

observations from Cuba

Loss of inputs
Composting
Vermiculture
Compost tea
Animals

Soil-building ideas for Mpls

Allow more composting at urban
farms and market gardens
Allow both small and mid-sized
composting businesses in
communities
Be sure to include vermicomposting
and compost tea operations
Pilot composting toilets

Coop observations from Cuba:

Coops are everywhere in Cuban
agriculture.
Models: CPA UBPC CCS

Cooperative ideas for Mpls

Government could more clearly and
actively support small growers
coops, and use them to support:
Land access
Financing
Training and education
Access to markets

Government support for agriculture /

role of Ministry of Ag in Cuba

MinAg aids Cuban farmers in several

important ways, including:
Helping host Campesino y Campesino
(or farmer-to-farmer) training
Breeding and distributing beneficial
(pest-controlling) insects
Linking farmers to markets
Supporting growers coops
Providing financing and tools

Government support ideas for

Mpls
Orient more
financing and
other support to
small, urban
farms and
sustainable
farming practices
Help identify
access to
markets for small
growers

Markets in Cuba

Where do Cubans shop for food?

Contracts with hospitals, schools
Government-run
Coop-run
Currencies
Farmers make $

Market ideas for Mpls

Continue to increase
flexible access to
different types of
markets
Take a more active
role in the downtown
farmers market
Continue to build ties
to major institutions
(hospitals, schools,
etc.)

Observations farm lobby role in

Cuba
National Association
of Small Farmers
(ANAP) helps with:
Campesino y
Campesino training
Land access for
farmers (including
recommending
which farmers get
access to land)
Helping set
agriculture policy

Farm lobby ideas for Mpls

The local food / sustainable food movement
is disconnected from the most powerful
farm lobby organizations
Development of a clear local / sustainable
farmer advocacy organization and/or
attention to local/sustainable farming from
the existing farm lobby organizations would
help
Connections between urban and rural
activism

Agriculture academia in Cuba

Cuban academic institutions are
researching agroecological farming
methods, including:
Climate-suitable, low-input hybrids
Ways of growing and using beneficial insects
Building soil fertility and more.

These insights are shared with farmers

through ANAP, the coops, and the Ministry
of Agriculture, using the Campesino y
Campesino program and other methods.

Academia ideas for Mpls

More support from U for
small farmers using
sustainable practices
Biological pest control
Hybrids
Building soil fertility

Support farmer-to-farmer
learning opportunities
around new sustainable
ag techniques

Future Presentations
Sunday, April 19th at 10am at
Walker United Methodist Church,
3104 16th Ave S
Just Robin

Thursday, April 23rd from 6pm8pm at the MN Social Impact Center,

250 N 3rd Ave #550
The whole group

Stay tuned for more hands-on

workshops this summer