Dates: June 1-July 9
Credits: 3
This course is an examination of Cuba’s unique agricultural practice and food security and how modern- day Cuba is distinguished from other countries in that it is considered the model for sustainable agriculture. The government has given land to rural farmers who grow food for the state and can sell their surplus for a profit. Cuba is a leader in urban agriculture, turning over city plots to citizens who promise to produce food for themselves and the community. Cuba’s constitution guarantees a right to food.
In this course you will learn about Cuba's agriculture and how its history and politics shaped it and the availability of food for its people. The Cuban Revolution dramatically affected land ownership, food distribution and agricultural education. The impact of the Special Period (1993-2008) forced Cuba away from high input, industrial agriculture to a system that relies on biological pest controls and bio- fertilizers, replenishing the soil with biomass, and animal tilling. This system of agroecology utilizes inter-cropping, crop rotation, green manures and vermiculture.
Questions: Ann Leger, International Programs in Agriculture and Natural Resources (IPAN), AGNR, aleger@umd.edu
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