Food Security, Food Sovereignty, and Urban Agriculture in Cuba

Abstract

In the last thirty years, Cuba and its capital Havana have become homes to one of the most vibrant urban agricultural movements in the world. This article argues that urban agriculture (UA) became the epitome of a broader movement of “agricultural revolution” that followed the collapse of the previous, capital intensive, monocultural agro-export model. It contends that this transformation revolved around three pillars – land redistribution, agricultural diversification, and agroecology – that account for a transition from food security to food sovereignty. It also presents the results of interviews conducted in Havana with urban farmers to assess the impact that UA has on their family’s diet and food security. The research demonstrates that UA guarantees a heightened feeling of independence to urban farmers and has a tremendous impact on their food security and diversity, most notably through autoconsumption. It also shows that community needs, use value, and the decommodification of food and land are the driving principles of UA in Cuba, which is in line with the food sovereignty model.