Over the past few weeks, headlines concerning food shortages and poor harvests have become more gloomy. In today's New York Times there is an article that depicts the global food crisis with greater urgency. According to the article, rain in the Midwest and drought in Australia are responsible for lower yields in wheat, corn, rice, and soybeans. With much of the world depending on American farmers, the problem seems as though it will only escalate?
Perhaps, Cuba has a solution to this problem. Yesterday, the Philadelphia Inquirer had an article praising Cuba's urban farming program for being able to supply much of Cuba's vegetables. It also provides 350,000 jobs with considerably high pay. Futhermore, it has increased food options for a country that was heavily dependent on a diet of rice and beans and canned goods from Eastern Europe. With a population that is 80 perecent urban, it would only make sense for them to develop an urban agricultural agenda.
Since the majority of people in the United States live in urban areas, it seems like this model might help relieve the current food shortages. Can cities like New York City adapt the Cuban program? The article reveals that Cuba's urban farming program is driven by the employees' incentive. 80 percent of the profits go to the workers! Are we still talking about a communist country?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-10-2008 @ 5:52PM
tbaync said...
Inch by inch, that's how the socialists in this country will take over.
Sorry, we do enough government subsidizing of farming no need for more.
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6-10-2008 @ 6:39PM
badfrog said...
This might help in Detroit or Gary, IND, or the other worst cities in the Rust Belt. But generally, American cities are far too dynamic and useful to spare space and time for subsistance level agriculture.
The Cubans have had to deal with half a century of Marxist economic failure and unemployment, and have managed to find ways to survive. Cuba is a huge island with marvelous volcanic soil, and used to be the bread and sugar basket of the Carribean, now it has devolved to a giant truck garden where no citizen can own or work his own land. While we can take something of value from their "experiment," Cuba has to import much of it's food from the USA; we are their top trade partner. Anyone who has seen the miles after miles after miles of vegetable farms in Sinaloa, Mexico (owned and operated by Mexicans), where we and the rest of the western hemisphere obtain much of our produce, quickly understands the difference between vibrant capitalism, and the smart subsistence farming of the once prosperous Cuban cities. Contrast the carefully preserved cars from the 1950's that are the prevailing transport in Havana, with our modern automobiles for another take on the Cuban experience.
According to a Spanish study, in 1842 Cuba's plantation slaves got royally decreed daily rations of 8 ounces of meat, 4 ounces of rice, 16 ounces of starch and 4 ounces of beans. By contrast, when Castro started rationing food in 1962, Cubans got 2 ounces of meat, 3 ounces of rice, 6.5 ounces of starch and 1 ounce of beans.
Not a lot there to emulate, really.
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