Tess McNamara

This project investigates the extensive system of Urban Agriculture (UA) in Cuba, a network that arose out of widespread food crisis in the 1990s, with the purpose of speculating how elements of this system might be applied to other nations also grappling with food instability in the face of crisis. The study is primarily spatial in nature; it investigates the common characteristics of UA land in Cuba, the aesthetic impacts of the farms on their urban context, and how the food travels from farm to place of consumption. After visiting, analyzing, and interviewing farmers on 21 UA sites, predominantly government run organoponicos, across the cities of Havana, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, and Santiago de Cuba, successful and replicable elements of the Cuban system emerged. The farms are often in the center of areas of high density due to vacant old construction lots, and have in-lot market stalls to vend produce, resulting in vibrant community spaces and immediate access to fresh vegetables. The system benefits in a number of ways from the strong, centralized government in place in Cuba, which is highly motivated to support in-country food production due to previous instability: organoponico regulations ensure quality and ‘organic’ methods, prices are lower than other options due to government support and zero transportation costs, and all land used for these farms is owned and ‘leased’ to farmers by the government.