Cuban Food Crisis after the Soviet Union Collapsed
How Cuba Leads the World in Permaculture: Part 1
Roberto Perez is a pioneer of permaculture in Cuba where a food production revolution occurred starting in 1993, four years after the 1989 collapse of the USSR and the socialist block. In the interview, Perez describes the hunger crisis that followed the loss of Cuba’s main trading partners and food resource. The US embargo was tightened during these critical times that Cuba termed the “Special Period” when hunger plagued the island. The US cut off all food imports and punished ships from other nations that dared to dock in Cuban ports with cargo for Cuba.
The Collapse of the Soviet Union and Permaculture in Cuba
The collapse of the Soviet Union and eastern block cut off oil supplies to the island which lost 70% of oil imports compared to previous years. Cubans turned to sustainable agriculture without the use of petro chemical fertilizers and pesticides which were no longer available. Hunger propelled Cuba to adopt permaculture approaches to urban and rural agriculture. It is a fascinating story of dealing with peak oil, something the whole world now faces. Perez is featured in a film called The Power of the Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.
I was excited about the possibility of interviewing visiting Cuban permaculture expert Roberto Perez, who was only available on Saturday when KPFA had no engineers on duty. What to do? My husband Paul Richards, who has successfully initiated several permaculture projects in our backyard, set up a recording studio by his computer in our house with a new microphone. He hung blankets on two projection screens to create a make-shift sound booth. We were ready to record . The information-packed interview is presented in two parts. You can hear Part 1 on this post.
La Raza Chronicles will broadcast Part 2 this Tuesday, September 3rd, at 7 PM, Pacific Time. You can also hear it online on KPFA Archives. Next week, we will publish Part 2 on a second post here on An Art Activist Blog, ninaserrano.com. Part 2 includes information about the 11th International Permaculture Convergence in Cuba in November, 2013, and Perez’s work with the Antonio Núñez Jiménez Foundation for Nature and Humanity. He also will let you know how U.S. citizens can legally travel to Cuba to attend this world convergence of permaculture experts, become a certified permaculturist and tour permaculture sites throughout the island.
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