How Cuban agriculture went from industrial to sustainable

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In this Our Changing Climate environmental video essay, I look at the history of Cuban sustainable agriculture and farming. Specifically, I look at why sustainable and organic methods, such as urban farms and market gardens, proliferated in Cuban farming, and what that might mean for farmers markets and local food systems in countries like the United States. Some of the principles of Cuban agriculture could be used to build a system in opposition to our current industrial food and factory farm system.
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Twitter: / ourclimatenow
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Email: [e-mail]
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Resources:
1. Bill McKibben's "The Cuba Diet": billtotten.blogspot.com/2005/0...
2. Eat Local: Cuba's Urban Gardens Raise Food on Zero Emissions: insideclimatenews.org/news/20...
3. Creating a Sustainable Urban Agriculture
Revolution: scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlu...
4. Cuba's Green Revolution: • Cuba's Green Revolutio...
5. What Cuba can teach America about organic farming: • What Cuba can teach Am...
6. The Paradox of Cuban Agriculture: monthlyreview.org/2012/01/01/...
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Music:
I Don't See the Branches I See the Leaves by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: chriszabriskie.com/
Rewound by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: chriszabriskie.com/
Another Version of You by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: chriszabriskie.com/
#farming #climatechange #ourchangingclimate
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[@OurChangingClimate]

What do you think we can learn from Cuba's agricultural systems? Do you think interconnected local food systems could potentially replace our current globally dependent models?

[@jerebear39]

I have been actually thinking about ways to create a sustainable local food system here in America, and I knew nothing about what they are doing in Cuba! Great model when looking for ways to create a systems that is common sense and sustainable. The world needs to start rethinking this global system that has been created since the end of WW2, because the strain and the demands of such a complex global system needs to be address. If we are going to have future generations to live on the planet. The way agricultural is currently is ridiculous and irrational. Nobody in political leadership on all fronts, local, federal, through global organizations. Aren't thinking about what if this system falls? Then what? Cities would be starved in days causing civil unrest. The only way forward is to start thinking local and sustainable. This Cuban model is a good start for thinking a sustainable but effective solution to a huge problem no one is talking about. Also, really love your channel and the content you produce really great! Been with you since the start. Hope to see you blow up soon! (Sorry for long post. Had a lot to say...( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ )

[@heidiembrey4917]

I've been working to create sustainable food systems in the US for ..decades. People will no allow it. They do not like you growing food in the US. They will say ''what a beautiful tree'', and I will say, ''this tree makes food'' and they will say ''oh, it makes food it is disgusting, you must kill it according to the law now and if you don't we will.'' I'm not joking. And wish you luck. Permaculture could save the planet but people don't want it. They want turf grass lawns and dog pooh.

[@ArthurCowdery]

1)Never nationalize assets that are foreign owned and expect relations to stay good (cuba nationalizing US assets in cuba that lead to us embargo of cuba) 2)cuba could have traded with any other nation but instead went socialistic and latin countries decided to embargo cuba as well 3)being part of a large socialist system like the soviet union meant a huge amount of decision making coming from a small elite group (I live in Ukraine and my family was a victim of the Holodomor which was a man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine that killed millions of Ukrainians- the food was grown but the powers that be decided that the local Ukrainians are secondary to feeding the population in Russia where the one party system was centralized). Decisions from a one party system are not automatically good or effective... they are only unquestionable. The idea that 'need' caused the change in cuba is nonsense- the idea that ukrainians just lacked the 'need' of food and so that it why the system didn't change is nonsense. The reality is cuba has a need plus their government is getting out of the way! 4)Cuba is still very very very much dependent upon petrol in agriculture... they are mounting huge deficits to Venezuela for all the oil that they import! It ain't true that there is massive reform at a national level that has moved away from oil. If they dared tried to move away from oil in agriculture there would be a foreign funded revolution...Just like if an OPEC nation tried to move away from the petrol-dollar then Murika will send their democracy drones and freedom bombs. It aint intelligent to grow food in a scattered way. That requires MOAR input. We tried that in Ukraine when after the famine the powers that be allowed local food production. All that ends up happening is something that they spent the 90's to undo. Many people became self sufficient! They grew their own food and didn't want to participate in a larger society. The tax base collapsed completely and lead to 600% inflation (print the money to pay since they couldn't collect anything from anybody). At the surface it seems like a great idea- everyone self sufficient. But without a tax base and a public interested in making sure the tax base isn't squandered but used for the public good then you end up with a weakling of a federal government un able to stop invasion (enter stage left- the loss of Crimea and other parts..smh) We moved back to a centralized farming system (and privatized to better react to market forces) that takes advantage of irrigation techniques that use less water and cause less erosion of the top soil and stopped all the wasteful backyard gardens. Taxes are being collected and basic public goods are finally coming into order. The main lesson from Cuba is don't be socialist. You need a balance of public and private sectors. Actually visit cuba and see how sad it is. I've been there and my most recent trip is the last trip I will make until that government collapses. They are still so soviet. They beg for anything you bring in (hey- we used to do the same thing in Ukraine- if you have levi's we would try to get a pair from you, the tourist). Every woman is willing to sell herself..smh (this damages the role of the family unit and increases the rate of AIDs- I didn't go there for the sex tourism- that is mostly the German tourists). Like in some nations, you have intelligent people in Cuba despite the massive brain drain they had. The problem is you are only able to work on a problem set (project) if the government directs you do it...and there is a ton of bureaucracy that makes an intelligent person not want to participate. That government needs to fall and they will still have to go through another collapse. It is called the J curve. No nation can just move from one side (centralized economy) to privatized economy without crashing to figure out who are the competent people able to manage assets effectively cause government is terrible at doing it all.

[@recordstore2265]

How would this be good in central country and Colombia

[@marlenec1022]

@@ArthurCowdery well said Arthur, socialism is Not good at all like these dipshits all think I was born in Cuba my family took us out because of the communist. The family we have there are starving and in need of medicine. Yet most millennials think socialism is great , easy to say when you don't live under a Dictator. 🙄 Viva Cuba Libre ! #FreeCuba #sos #Communism #democraticsocialism #liberals

[@drunkenmasterii3250]

One thing that should be mentioned tho, the climate is putting Cuba at an advantage here. Here in Canada we've been in communication with Cuba for years regarding their agriculture model, but some of the things they're doing is only feasible if you have a tropical climate where everything grows all year long.

[@jeanetteinthisorn4955]

Tell that to the 5 decades Elliot Coleman has been biointensive in Maine, higher north than most of our agriculture. Or to JM Fortier in Quebec.

[@drunkenmasterii3250]

Jeanette Inthisorn What are you trying to say? I’m not saying things don’t grow in Quebec, all I’m saying is that their model can’t directly be translated to a more northern climate, it need to be adapted.

[@jeanetteinthisorn4955]

@@drunkenmasterii3250 Go look up Elliot Coleman in Maine who grows 4 seasons, for the past 50 years. Look up Jean Martin Fortier in Quebec. Look up Connor Crickmore in NY. Or richard perkins at 60 degrees north in sweden. It is being done. There are farmers who grow biointensive in areas of europe where there are no frost free months.

[@drunkenmasterii3250]

Jeanette Inthisorn hey I’m literally studying horticulture in Quebec... All I said is that it cannot be done the exact same way. Each climate has their own challenges.

[@jeanetteinthisorn4955]

@@drunkenmasterii3250 sorry for my curtness. Its not you, its the communist propaganda video. A dictatorship does not need to worry about whether people will choose to spend a larger percentage of their income on high quality food produced sustainably. People living in dictatorships are not given choices other than do as the govt says or die. Or acting as if this is the brainchild of Cuba, even though Paris in the 1800s had market gardens productive enough to export to England during the winter. But seriously, look up those people I mentioned before. Also Elaine Ingham, PhD. And Gabe Brown.

[@peterstewart6849]

No macdonald's or papa John's everytime I go to cuba by the third day my body feels clean . Cuba is behind in times some places it feels like I have gone 150 years back in time but this is the way we all should live and stop killing the planet and ourselves . People in cuba live without many luxurious it sad at first but they you realize most Cubans are happy well educated then you look at states and what goes on American can learn a lot from cuba

[@sandray7609]

I love Cuba, the lifestyle is more balanced even though people struggle due to the government. The food is the best tasting. Until you eat organic naturally grown without all of the pesticides, you have no idea what you are missing.

[@Dog.soldier1950]

Boy what blindness like the westerns visit the USSR and found a workers paradise instead of a slave state

[@cubananitabell8141]

Thanks for this observation Peter, my country is back in time, yes, we decided to remain back in time and to develop Cuba in a sustainable way, for example increasing big industry without smokes, the tourism. Thanks to pur education system and our dignity we now move into a different zone, an eco zone if I acne call it this way. Capitalism is not the way to follow, for sure. I recommend you to look at some videos from "Casimiro eco agriculture in Cuba", he is a great man and has built a real green farm inside Cuba. For the people who think Cubans are under a dictatorship systems, you would appreciate this farmer and his family are real free people. kzbin.info/www/bejne/emLViouHaaygbqs

[@Dog.soldier1950]

I don’t recall the Cuban people having a choice. Their government, not answerable to voters, makes the decisions. The people are little more than slaves

[@cubananitabell8141]

@@Dog.soldier1950 I think that having two or more political parties and having elections every dove years don' t bring democracy by forze...

[@fabiofonv]

What the video don't mention, because I think, its very controversial, is that Cuba's economic and political system is not dependent on the concentration of wealth through latifundios. An agroecological revolution is directly connected to a proletarian revolution, as is vice-versa.

[@usudnik4561]

preach comrade

[@DukeGMOLOL]

The only concentration of wealth in Cuba is the government.

[@masiethespiral]

​@@DukeGMOLOLpower concentrates in the government cause we can vote for the government. However when billion dollar companies control us we have no say or power

[@DukeGMOLOL]

@@masiethespiral You are a communist mouthpiece. Cuba is a totalitarian state where you have no choice.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

@@masiethespiral The people have no vote in Cuba.

[@jamesavery3110]

I went to Cuba in 2017, and everything from the meat to the fruits and veggies all tasted different, not worse, just different than what I was used to in america. There was no concept of reduced fat milk, everything was whole. The fruits and eggs were smaller and tasted different. I don't know why it tasted different, but my best guess is that it was more "natural", and how food should taste.

[@KevonLindenberg]

Because they focus on natural pest management and building soil you're likely tasting foods with a higher brix rating and a lack of pesticides. ie they have more nutrients.

[@herrvonundzulustig]

@yo dasxi how do you know?

[@marlenec1022]

You had food to eat while my family starves in cuba because of the communist ? To bad your dumbass didn't choke on your food you poshit commie .🖕🏼

[@marlenec1022]

@@herrvonundzulustig theres no flour in cuba , the mills were all built before Castro took over and everything is falling apart. These stupid idiots that go and think Cuba is wonderful should stay there ! ! Commie pigs !

[@PH7018c]

@@marlenec1022 ...eso vine a ver... Dizque agricultura sostenible en Cuba... Será un par de finquitas para los hoteles.. Gracias por aclarar..

[@yellowbird5411]

I believe that Americans who cannot have a garden or farm due to the physical labor that may be involved can plant fruit trees. Almost all of us have space for fruit trees, and the smallest yard can have some dwarf varieties. No weeding, little watering, less ground based pest issues. And trees do not take up the ground space, so other plants can still be planted at the base. Even restricted communities that dictate what you can have in your front and back yards will often allow fruit trees if kept well. Plant once, and they are there for years to provide bushels of fruit for everyone. My soil here in Florida is awful. It's sand, basically. But I have a huge star fruit tree that drips fruit every year and sometimes during the year. I have two loquat trees that have delicious fruits, and they grow really fast. I have a tangerine tree and a mango tree. I plan on planting more trees this spring. I would like an avocado and some fig trees to add to my collection. I do mulch with the chop and drop system, and sometimes will throw other things on them, like kitchen waste. They love it.

[@lproth]

Trees and vines need a lot of tending, the like all agriculture have pests, disease and need pruning to bear fruit. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

[@kenatodd1767]

@ iproth you can grow some trees inside! And some are dwarf breeds. I live in the Northwest, so if you want citrus trees, you HAVE to bring them inside (or into a greenhouse if you have one), and they're easy to manage

[@jghifiversveiws8729]

My Granny (great grandmother) in fl used to have a bunch of fruit trees in her backyard, but as she got older she could no longer pick up all the fruits that fell from the trees causing them to rot over time producing odors and attracting pests so she had to get rid of a couple of them some years ago :(

[@TheKnightXavier]

I love your videos man. Most of what you cover is right up my alley as I am majoring in sustainability/resource management. Funnily enough, I don't watch them often. This one really grabbed my attention based on the subject matter. Thanks for putting in the hard work to make this. You definitely deserve more attention!

[@DukeGMOLOL]

If you are majoring in resource management then you know that organic agriculture is environmental vandalism.

[@waynecarroll9203]

It is obvious that you are not majoring in English...funnily said.

[@vkumar2749]

Raghava Payment raghava probably you're from India cn we connect?

[@maihoonaa10]

Love Cuba from India & Kuwait. Best of luck..

[@zurzakne-etra7069]

@Steve Ellison lol why?

[@lllool8404]

Same here. From South Korea.

[@maihoonaa10]

@@lllool8404 thak you

[@appleslover]

From Turkey

[@arnabmusouwir9018]

I was working on a project about changing the environment and I had proposed urban farming business. I got pretty hopeless after a lot of research finding that there was no way to make the business a success. But the info in this video just changes the game. Thanks to Allah so much for bringing me here to your video! I am really grateful.

[@darreng8599]

This is a good video , just have to keep in mind urban soils can be contaminated with heavy metals, oils, or from whatever the historical industrial use was at any given location.

[@audpicc]

Yep! And some of Cuba's brightest minds have done ongoing research in how to understand and mitigate these effects.

[@tomkelly8827]

An optimist will find trace minerals. A pessimist will find heavy metals. When you need the food the optimist will prevail

[@soiboisixtnine8848]

which is one of the reasons why the organoponicos used raised beds

[@definitelynotacrab7651]

Incredible to accomplish this while under such a cruel embargo.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

There is no embargo of Cuba. The rest of the world is free to trade with Cuba.

[@definitelynotacrab7651]

​@DukeGMOLOL if any business that has any assets or interaction with the US economy trades with Cuba they will be sanctioned by the US, have their assets in US banks froze, and will have ships barred from entering IS ports for 90 days. This clearly is an embargo even if the US doesn't literally have ships patrolling the country's waters to prevent access

[@DukeGMOLOL]

@@definitelynotacrab7651 False. The United States embargo against Cuba prevents US businesses, and businesses organized under US law or majority-owned by US citizens, from conducting trade with Cuban interests.

[@greenleafyman1028]

I love Cuba. I wish I could visit there sooner.

[@audiofunkdialect]

Great video. Preventative healthcare and organic small-scale farming. Like it or not Cuba is number one.

[@felixalmaguer7399]

Then go live there.

[@SuperChausette]

@@felixalmaguer7399 you know what? Maybe *WE* will!

[@MrSdog17]

Another thing that has to be considered is that Cuba is a small country in a tropical climate. The United States spans many climates. Much less grows in Minnesota than does in Cuba.

[@kaki4636]

Then we form a federated network of local farms similar to our federal system of states. Certain states have frigid climates, frequent droughts, or poor soil, but the neat thing about America is that all of those states are "United". Produce that can't be grown in one state might be easily grown in another, and vice versa. We don't have to copy the Cuban system- we just need to learn from it. And that's not considering solutions such as hydroponics or vertical gardening. We have the resources necessary to pull this off so long as the community is willing to opt into it and the government is willing to subsidize it. The real hurdle is large special interests and the prevailing system of capitalism that forges this country into a kleptocracy.

[@MrSdog17]

@@kaki4636 Oh yeah I totally agree. I was just pointing out that it's not quite as simple as the video makes it seem.

[@asupremum1246]

Thats an interesting assumption. There are so many crops that won't grow or only grow poorly in tropical/subtropical locals. Most domestic crops are developed and breed to grow in cooler, drier temperate climates. Excessive rain, drought, heat, poor soil, and insect pests are all especially challanging in tropical/subtropical climates. I'm in South Florida and although crops from the warm-tropics grow very well here, the most common veggies and fruits do poorly. For example corn, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, summer squash, asparagus, artichokes seem to be very difficult or even impossible to grow here without incredible dedication and effort.

[@sandorski56]

The "less" isn't Volume, but diversity. That said, Tropical climates can't grow all crops and there are likely crops that will grow in Minnesota that won't grow in Cuba. It really wasn't that long ago that most Cities did provide for most of their Food needs, they just didn't have certain Fresh food 365 days a year like we do now. So I disagree that the Local Model is somehow unworkable in the US. That said, I don't necessarily think the US or any wealthy Nation absolutely needs to adopt this model of Agriculture. There are Pros/Cons with all models, which is preferred or "best" is largely based upon the values people adhere to.

[@alexandroquintero1964]

are you high? the midwest is some of the most productive land in the world because of loess soils. tropical soils are generally poor.

[@ShaudaySmith]

I'm all about diversification. Big farms, small farms, neighbors.. yes to all. Grocery stores would do well to be more inclusive of their stores local community output.

[@kombatace7971]

This makes me feel infinitely grateful for the farmers market just 2 blocks away from my house

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

Cuba changed because they HAD TO. The rest of the world will follow Cuba's lead yes.... in that they won't change until forced to do so. And then they will be so proud of their brilliant ideas to overcome the hardship!

[@Donthaveacowbra]

Cuba imports >50% of their food and 30% of their people are employed by agriculture - _- the rest of the world won't switch because we aren't Friggin stupid. We will eventually electrify our machinery or find other more efficient ways. We already attempt to reduce fuel, chemical, water and everything else to maximize output with minimal inputs. Let's take cassava for example. Cuba has the LOWEST yield in all of the Caribbean. Its already basically a pointless block of calories but they grow it generally because it's cheap and caloric dense. Not everywhere has to grow its own food. Cuba has a great climate and can grow high value labour intensive crops. Instead they try to do this.

[@ahtisimolaido1670]

Agreed. Who on Earth would be willing to pay a living wage to some dude meandering about with watering cans and producing an output that's going to feed maybe two other dudes for a month. If it's more efficient per square meter of land, we'll do it with drones and big data, and get renewable energy for them to operate. Hopefully we'll also regulate or certify that they take care of the land and other sustainable measures etc. If not, then forget about it.

[@marlenec1022]

Sure the rest will follow we love to eat , have electricity, clean water . You can stay in the dark ages the rest of us will be better .morons

[@marlenec1022]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHzLg2yfaqh6oaM

[@DukeGMOLOL]

@@Donthaveacowbra --Right on B C!!

[@class_that]

I am so happy I found this channel, great job!

[@leesmindfuljourney]

Cuban here

[@samuelpaulini]

the problem with mono culture is soil fertility depletion, huge waste asociated with damage caused by mechanical harvest and toxicity of these foods based on use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and synthetic fertilizers. In my opinion we are not counting all things in when calculating in money driven system.

[@kendal5210]

Samuel Paulini but yields can increase over time, depending on the crop, it’s not something I’ve done myself just because of the reasons you stated but like no tillage farming, with enough time tanking yields, they can increase significantly after and be better in the long run. It just depends on if you are willing to take the blow for so long

[@jacob2359]

Where are you getting all this? If these were problems we'd see it in the average population. I'm not sure what sources you use, but last I checked we had a Food and Drug Administration that checked if these -cides were safe for human exposure in food products. Fertility depletion is only an issue without fertilizer, and even without fertilizer we still rotate crops in many areas to improve soil yields anyways. In a money driven system, people benefit from producing better product consistently. That means if a method results in better, long-term yields then that's the most profitable approach to agriculture. Most of these farmers in the U.S are very educated, experienced people. They know how to make a sustainable system.

[@sandray7609]

You are so right. I am always amazed at how many people are in denial and think mass scale is the best. I shake my head at how misinformed people are

[@luisa146]

@@jacob2359 What about biodiversity and pollinators loss, eutrophication, soil erosion, water depletion and pollution. Those are some of the problems industrial agriculture is directly causing, there's no denying it anymore. What's most profitable is hardly ever the most sustainable alternative. Sustainable means to maintain the resources we have now, so that they'll be available to future generation. Industrial agricolture is nowhere near to that concept.

[@jacob2359]

@@luisa146 Again, all issues that industrial agriculture was, is and is continuing to address with better products and more efficient methods. -Soil erosion has been addressed with no-till and altered approaches to tilling. -Water depletion is hardly an issue as most places have a sufficient supply of water, and it's not like the water is lost forever. It just goes back into the soil. -Pollution is, at least in agriculture, a fertilizer issue that leads into the eutrophication. Greater efficiency with fertilizer means that businesses pay less for fertilizer and get more crops, resulting is less fertilizer able to run-off into waterways. -Biodiversity and pollinators are a more regional issue, however with cross-pollination being limited by commercial bee-keeping plus the multi-pronged approach to new crop types using both a genetically diverse range of base crops for GMO's means our food biodiversity is unspoiled and the environment biodiversity is polluted less so with the new techniques that have been applied over the last couple decades. Sustainable means to be able to persist over long periods of time, maintaining current resources is a small part in the wider definition just as a "resource" can be defined differently. In every way the industrial agriculture is more efficient, more flexible in the face of major problems like what you've mentioned, and more frugal with resources than the average person. Besides, who's better at farming: the average person or a specialized worker who has invested decades of practice farming despite the issues you've mentioned above?

[@davidlacziko1516]

I jus wrote this comment, because I'd like to support you! Nice video!

[@tonydeveyra4611]

Thank you for your videos. You produce such great content

[@Sunil-zd4iv]

That doesn't kill you makes you stronger! Great insight & nice video!

[@justinsetting6564]

This is such a cool topic that you chose

[@AlexCab_49]

I hope to visit Cuba someday.

[@itsthegdb]

You should do a video about the brazilian Movimento Sem Terra (MST), they struggle to occupy land that is unused by big farm owners(lots of it colonial heritage) and produce a lot of the organic food we have here in Brazil

[@thepeopleplaceandnaturepod8344]

This video gave me hope for the future of our planet! 🍀

[@DukeGMOLOL]

The poverty of Cuba gives you hope?

[@luisa146]

Great! I uploaded italian subtitles so I can share it with my people who don't understand english very well. I'm loving all your videos!

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Be sure and tell them this is government propaganda.

[@luisa146]

@@DukeGMOLOL government propaganda from which government? US? Lol. Cuba? That's pretty unlikely.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

@@luisa146 --Subtitles from the video are government propaganda. Cuba has been a repressive disaster since 1959.

[@luisa146]

@@DukeGMOLOL I don't care about the cuban government. The reason I like this video and I translated it is because it shows how a conversion to a more sustainable agrosystem may be possible. I think that is the focus of the video rather than political debate.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

@@luisa146 --Yes your are right, it is the focus of the video. What is not the focus of the video is the reason Cubans are farming that way: the lack of modern tools and modern, safe pesticides to make the best use of the land. Organic agriculture yields substantially less meaning that it rips more land from nature to grow the same amount of food. Of course it is heresy to say that given the misunderstanding that is widespread about organic agriculture. Regards.

[@zurzakne-etra7069]

Love this channel

[@IIBenneTT]

I liked what I just saw.

[@phillipkoether6087]

Yo...@Our Changing Climate.... this video was fire

[@songweaver6076]

Nicely done.

[@letitiabanks4593]

I enjoyed this video and will visit Cuba.

[@sandray7609]

I have been 7 times. It is a beautiful country with resilient beautiful people who love life, music, dance. They are well educated and articulate. As hard as their system is, I think they are happier than North Americans who chase an American dream, live the rat race, never have enough and are depressed and anxious. There is a lot we can learn from them

[@DukeGMOLOL]

@@sandray7609 --Bwwaaaaaaahahahahahahahahaha.

[@esmegoing7592]

Is Buckwheat grown in Cuba?

[@zeffrinoviana4111]

Cuba is amazing country i hope i'll be there someday love Cuba from indonesia

[@smoothcat1556]

Hello Indonesia 👋 From United States 🇺🇸

[@waynecarroll9203]

In 2019 Cuba imported 70% of its food.

[@mqh852]

We could make food like football. Everyone has local football. Even though we know of national, industrial grade football players, everyone still appreciates a Good Friday night high school game.

[@zachfox7771]

It's beautiful what we can do with scarcity some times isn't it

[@justinwaddy4285]

Its always been beautiful...but with what lens do u perceive?

[@marina_starcatcher]

I was born in Cuba and I'm used to food being grown near where I live. Although I have lived 16 years in the U.S , my parents have have kept this tradition alive by growing food in our backyard and trading vegetables and fruits with our neighbors. We currently have 2 mango trees, 2 avocado trees, 6 papaya trees, a lime tree, a mulberry tree, and a lot of seasonal veggies/fruits. If it wasn't for pests we would honestly have even more food/plants, but since my parents don't put pesticides in anything we simply grow what we can. Sometimes we grow more than we can eat so we preserve, freeze, and give away a lot of our fruits. I was fortunate to grow up in a home with a backyard that allowed my parents to do this, but you don't need a big place to grow at least some of your own veggies. I'm living away at college now, and I only have a small balcony and windowsill, but I've filled these small spaces with planters full of herbs, veggies, and flowers. Food in Cuba has always been a problem, and there are seasons where fruits/vegetables disappear for months until the products from the next big harvest appear, but that is more of a government problem than anything else. I think at least having local organoponicos around cities/communities where people can go and buy fresh veggies ( that you can see them cut and pull from the ground) would definitely add to our quality of life.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Food is not the problem in Cuba, the government is.

[@blitzkrieg7826]

this is a cool vid

[@FlookNock]

If you are interested in small scale farming there is a lot of material on youtube. "Urban Farmer Curtis Stone" runs profitable backyard farms in California and gives out alot of info on it for free. Justin Rhodes is more of a homesteader but he has more animal husbandry videos if you're in to that. That's just two but you will find more through watching them.

[@jaredmitchell292]

Curtis has now hidden a lot of info behind a paywall and also sells books and seminars.

[@goxdie000]

¡Viva Cuba!

[@marlenec1022]

You mean Viva Cuba Libre ! #FreeCuba #sos #Communism #democraticsocialism #feelTheBern 🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼

[@LibertarianLeninistRants]

@@marlenec1022 Cuba is free, more free than the US at least

[@ElTimotoQIK]

¡¡Viva Cuba Libre sin socialismo ni dictadura!!

[@ChocolateMilkyYummy]

cool

[@AnkaraBeekeeping]

Well done to Cuba. Really great job they succeeded. In fact tropical climates has more difficulties such as disasters, mold, insects and variety of hazards etc. Its not climate , its central planning and non-profit motive socialist policies that makes the success. Greetings from Turkey. Solidarity !

[@mac2658]

You're an ignorant, Cuba is starving.

[@AnkaraBeekeeping]

@@mac2658 why do I believe in you? You are probably a paid troll of the imperialist colonialist oligarchs

[@mac2658]

@@AnkaraBeekeeping You are more than ignorant, you are stupid. I am canadian and I have lived there. Paid troll by whom??? You speak like a communist in the 50's when nobody knew the truth. You should go live in Cuba if you think it's a great country.

[@AnkaraBeekeeping]

@@mac2658 You re idiot you are ignorant bla bla. I cant be more idiot than you. At least I dont try to change a persons mind by swearing from KZbin comments. Please fu** off

[@DukeGMOLOL]

@@mac2658 Bravo!!!!

[@unstoppableExodia]

Viva la organoponicos revolucion !!!!!!

[@davisoneill]

Well done Cuba.

[@k.ganesanganesan6825]

Cuban Agriculture leads the world.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Bwwaaaaahahahahahahahahaaa.

[@mac2658]

And you lead the world's idiots.

[@RandomGeometryDashStuff]

03:22 is that concrete?

[@JH-lz4ky]

They are really good at making home made boats too!

[@TDaltonCombs]

Havana does not "grow 90% of it's own food," it grows 90% of its own fruits and vegetables (which is a very different thing). Even that claim is suspect though. All the citations lead back to a 2006 article in The Independent with no primary source.

[@fajaradi1223]

Good point, it really cover 90% only if the whole community is vegan. Which is certainly not the case.

[@andrewcorbell7216]

T. Dalton Combs withstanding your correction it's quite an achievement nonetheless and a model that the rest of the world needs to take notice of.

[@TDaltonCombs]

Even if they are vegan, "produce" does not cover grains or processed foods. So bread, corn meal, cooking oil, etc are not included.

[@TDaltonCombs]

@@andrewcorbell7216 Maybe. Maybe they just don't each much produce in Havana. And again, it's just an assertion of reporter. I don't image they did original quantitate research on the cuban food system. That stat came from somewhere, but I can't figure out where . . . I would love to see an academic peer reviewed study of what percent of Havana's consumed calories are grown in Havana. That would give me some idea of how big of a deal this is.

[@andrewcorbell7216]

T. Dalton Combs well I suppose the next question is how does that efficency compare to industrialised agriculture, which will s unsustainable. if Havana is getting.. 90% of its vegetables and fruit from the surounding land, in a way that is reported so that we are led to believe its highly efficient. one begs the question why knock it?

[@lenny108]

nice video, this was also Gandhi's idea to have self-sustaining villages which produce food without machines. Today this would require to reverse this process of urban development and bring a large number of people back to work as farmers. This might only work when people have no other choice. When their present system of industrialized farming is collapsing, soils are destroyed and the chemicals being used make all people sick and die from cancer, stroke and Alzheimer's.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

@@wadewilson6628 --Right on Wade.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Lenny, Gandhi had a bad idea. Organic agriculture is environmental vandalism.

[@lenny108]

@@DukeGMOLOL so what is your idea?

[@DukeGMOLOL]

@@lenny108 --The best system is modern farming which uses much less land than organic agriculture. I realize it goes against what you believe but overall organic yields are substantially less. Land is the most important input in agriculture and organic ag rips more of that land from nature to grow less food. Regards. www.forbes.com/sites/stevensavage/2015/10/09/the-organic-farming-yield-gap/?fbclid=IwAR2_ttm-B39N9NA-TSU1o0S5_k27edT87HxDTmh-qwBLNUxEEmpSt4LTFPU#6deb06e5e0e5

[@gamingtonight1526]

Good Ol' Cuba!

[@benparkinson8314]

Cuba HAD TO CHANGE? Maybe, but increasingly I find it more prescient to take the view of looking at the human experience from the level of the 'super human' macro aggregation. I find it interesting to see it as a parallel to the social behaviour of maybe bacteria... I am sure I am not the first person to behold the world from this perspective on occasion... Islands are funny things in that they are alike in some ways to an issolated and well defined population in a research study... #Justsaying

[@janandstevedick6858]

Brilliant mate absolutely brilliant. Shame a lot of other countries don't do this or similar practises.

[@likira111]

I was really afraid you were gonna be some ignorant outsider saying that if only they had farmed more sustainably they wouldn't be starving, glad it didn't go that route.

[@VegitoBlue202]

We should also use biotech as our advantage As mix that plus Cuban/Indigenous farming practices we would literally decentralized farming + producing industrial scale food WITHOUT using so much land and pesticides.

[@zbynekcodykolacek]

Backyards in Czech Republic 🇨🇿. We have one. Except of majority of young socializing people, every family has one.

[@CaRrOtCaKe32200]

Love the czech rep. Amazing how your old jawa motorcycles are still running around cuba.

[@zbynekcodykolacek]

George Kaylor I had one too

[@georgeabraham7256]

Most relevant topic since Noah left the ark.. Good work Cuba!!

[@shawnfisher6214]

Yes, interconnected local food systems could potentially replace our current globally dependent models. How? By using smart farming appliances to grow a full diet of food at the point of consumption. Food production stewarded by families, communities full of farmers growing for each other in a decentralized and distributed network.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

You mean going back to the poverty of subsistence farming.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Another advantage of being outside of the World Bank system. Since Arctic Ice is collapsing, we will see our Nestlé food chain stop, and people will envy Cuba for having followed a different path.

[@tramonte]

How Cuba went from Industrial Agriculture to "Sustainable"? Easy: with the end of URSS they did not have the fertilizers that were handed to them by the Soviets so famine and lack of options made them look for alternatives. Unfortunately they never really went sustainable since they can barely meet their minimum population requirements for adequate nutrition.

[@gillenzfluff8380]

I use watered down urine as fertilizer.

[@treelife365]

Factory farms and industrial production of food - and the attendant ecological, animal and human harm - are things which we should all work to eliminate...

[@treelife365]

@@wadewilson6628 - It sounds like you have gone through some horrible times in your life and I'm sorry to hear that. No child should ever have to go hungry and no parent should ever have to be helpless like that. Ridding the world of factory farming does not mean that anyone has to go hungry - in fact, the industrialization of our food chain is what causes people to go hungry. Industrialization is the chasing of profits for greedy capitalists... and it's exactly what they've done to food in capitalist nation states. The beauty of the video is that Cuba was excluded from such a system and therefore took on a different approach; a more sustainable, people-friendly, earth-friendly, animal-friendly method of food production. Small plots, communities where everyone takes part in the feeding of each other. In the US, a large percentage of the population is food insecure, even though America is one of the richest countries in the world, where a large percentage of food is completely wasted. It's the system that is broken and that system is the industrialization of food production for the purpose of profit.

[@treelife365]

@@johnperic6860 - What food conglomerate do you work for?

[@VegitoBlue202]

​@@treelife365 how about GMOs, Gene Editing, Lab Created Meat, and shoot even making humanity not need to eat? Technology plays a role too We need to progress and regress in farming practices. Some form of Techno-Primitivism Farming practices should be used.

[@jonh6711]

Viva Cuba Libre.!

[@innerengineering3396]

Can you please make a video on how Hairs (humans and animals) can be used for very productive natural fertilizer. Indian politician Nitin Gadkari has created a 180 crore or $22M/year busines by even exporting this fertilizer to middle east. It's also used actively in some countries in Africa as this "gross" idea is gaining popularity. You can learn more about this by searching for "human hair fertilizer" in youtube search. It's not a joke or inhuman, but I will appreciate if you can make a dedicated video on this topic.

[@yellowbird5411]

The question is, can America learn to make changes to small local farms from the big ag farms that supply so much of our food? I have thought for a long time that I would love to see a resurgence of family farms with local outlets and trucking. As it is, we all shop at a handful of major grocery stores, and the growers are in a network for this. But we have to rely on too few players to feed America, and it is not only not healthy, we are forced to accept GMO foods and herbicides/pesticides on our foods. Small farms have more choices as they can condition their soil organically and naturally more easily, without the massive overhead. We do have smaller farms in Florida and other states, but you have to make an effort to find their farmer's markets. Google "Farmer's Market" for your county, and you will find several. Prices can be pretty much the same as stores, so go explore!

[@xxmoriahxx6756]

¡Viva Cuba

[@DukeGMOLOL]

No. Viva a free Cuba.

[@boonekeller5275]

I like how you maintained a neutral look on the Socialist nature of Cuba's history

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Yep, they totally ignored that the country lives in poverty under a dictator.

[@stephenverchinski409]

Green Party US also is the only party supporting the family farmer and like Henry Wallace back in last century, supporting agricultural parity by platform in opposition to commodified industrial agriculture.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Intensive agriculture is better for the environment.

[@stephenverchinski409]

@@DukeGMOLOL not if it continues to lose base carbon.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

@@stephenverchinski409 --Land is the most important input in agriculture Stephen and organic ag rips much more land from nature to grow the same amount of food.

[@LogicGated]

Cuba thrived despite an embargo enforced by the US.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Cuba is free to trade with any other country. Cuba hasn't thrived at all under the Communist jackboot.

[@livefromplanetearth]

+100

[@simplethings3730]

Local farming can supplement industrialized agriculture but not replace it.

[@joaozitogameplays]

It depends on a time and space scale. Sure, local farming can't replace industrialized farming today, but what about ten years from now on? Twenty? A hundred? It also depends if we're talking about a city, a country or the whole world

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Right on David.

[@ahmadparampam125]

Why do we need to keep the current indristrialized agriculture? If there is another alternatives systems which will bring greater good than harms

[@VegitoBlue202]

​@@ahmadparampam125 there Indigenous practices and Technologically Advanced practices both Trump Industrial farming in sustainability and efficiency.

[@allysandrailagan327]

Hi guys! i know many people will ignore this comment, but for those who didn't, hear me out :) if u love the environment, please use Ecosia as your search engine. For every 45 searches u make, a tree will be planted somewhere. if you think this is fake, u can always look at their channel in youtube. Also stay safe guys :)

[@goransvraka3171]

I don't see why they couldn't produce what they are lacking i.e. oils. For fuel you can amke biodisel, etc

[@JUANGALAN-UNIVERSOS]

Las familias agrarias y del campesinado siempre han sido comunidades autosuficientes, gracias a su esfuerzo y tesón en sus tierras, sin injerencias externas. Se recuperará los principios de igualdad y misma independencia económica de los estados y ente comunitario...por el puebloMediante políticas de apoyo, inversión económicas para la redistribución de tierras donde la agricultura y el campesinado vuelvan a florecer con el trabajo de las familias que se dediquen a tan hermosa tarea. 💖 reaprender a vivir del propio trabajo y riqueza,no de lo ajeno...

[@bingbangboom1239]

Fantastic achievement for a modest price of a miserable life and than an early death. Congratulations.

[@JulianaSanches-ki8kk]

79 years is the life expectancy in Cuba

[@bingbangboom1239]

@@JulianaSanches-ki8kk that’s actually not bad, given the limited nourishment and financial resources available to the general population. It’s comparable to Eastern European ex socialist countries.

[@michaaa9813]

​@@bingbangboom1239it is at least as high as in the us, malnutrition rate of childs is way lower than in the us, so is infant mortality.

[@bingbangboom1239]

@@michaaa9813 yes I checked it. You are correct. US life span is actually dropping. But the US is not a good example for good healthcare. Virtually any other developed country would have better statistics.

[@michaaa9813]

@@bingbangboom1239 it's more or less similar here in germany and we have a better health care system

[@eruno_]

Cuba is the best.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Best at producing poverty.

[@JUANGALAN-UNIVERSOS]

Cuando los países vuelvan al desarrollo y protección del mercado interno, será cuando se recuperen las economías, especialmente de los países empobrecidos. Es momento para un honorable comienzo, será el trabajo del pueblo la mayor riqueza del estado...lo de afuera, vigilar.

[@clintaudette3683]

173 Monsanto employees.

[@sleepily]

fuck yea! USA next!

[@alexjames5290]

command. economy.

[@LibertarianLeninistRants]

is what we need to make the necessary and fast changes in our societies

[@VegitoBlue202]

​@@LibertarianLeninistRants unless the state are the workers

[@krumi89]

Um, actually...the Berlin wall fell in 1989 ;-)

[@eivindhanssonruge6813]

But the soviet union got dissolved in 1991 as they said.

[@krumi89]

That's true, however, they showed footage of the wall with the year 1991 over it. It was all connected of course.

[@j.m.b5441]

I guess he showed the Berlin wall as a symbol of the Soviet union fall, its irrelevant it was just an example.

[@krumi89]

It makes sense as a symbol, and I understand why it was used. However, having grown up in East Germany, I do consider the two year difference relevant.

[@uggali]

🇨🇺Viva la revolución cubana🇨🇺 ⚒️✊🏿

[@JUANGALAN-UNIVERSOS]

El Estado es la cáscara que debiera Envolver y proteger su contenido doméstico. Sin embargo, los intereses de poder son los que provocan espantosas situaciones que sufren los ciudadanos soberanos....los avaros de poder son los promotores de semejantes situaciones tan crueles...

[@Geo.StoryMaps]

1900 calories is not starving

[@ahtisimolaido1670]

If you have to do hard labor to get that 1900 cal, then it is

[@berkaltuglu8140]

Sustanace farming is op

[@arlingtonguy54]

What happened there is what will happen to us if we continue industrial agriculture. The solution is backyard gardens with small livestock, urban agriculture and small regional organic farms. It would behove everyone to start learning how to produce food if not for yourself then so you can teach your grandchildren when the industrial food system collapses due to fuel shortages, resistant pests or diseased crops.

[@DSAK55]

2000 cal. a day is not starving

[@dermihai]

And then, what's the percentage of population working in agriculture? It may be cool to do urban farming if you're into that, but otherwise it's time consuming. One of the main strengths of industrial agriculture is that it allows 98% of the population to do anything else than agriculture. And mehcanizing the agriculture is nothing bad, you can use crop rotation and all the techniques there too. It's the mass consumption (mainly livestock) that destroys the lands.

[@bg6513]

Everyone else gets to work in retail or become graphic designers. 🤢

[@GhostlyTeehee]

"cuba is communist so actually everyone's starving I don't have any stats to back up my claims durr" great video lad

[@MisterCadaverine]

I don’t need stats, I lived there for the first 15 years of my life and me and my parents had to leave because there wasn’t enough for the 3 of us. Please, please don’t spread misinformation here.

[@GhostlyTeehee]

@@MisterCadaverine so the us embargo since it's existence, corrupt dictatorship before Castro, and an incredible amount of failed coups had nothing to do with it huh? I'm not denying that cuba went through some dark times, but you can't pin all the reasons why because of it's socialist government. Esp because the capitalistic government before it became a Haven for drug mobsters and exploited the people to a point of slavery

[@capitanulcacaoernesto8215]

Nobady was starving in 1984 romania all the food and exports were given to pay dets and the people could eat pig feet from the bucher only if you had relatives in the countyside you could slother a pig in secret so you could eat some meat not to say oranges were imposible to find only on christmass time ass well bananas and any exotic fruit it was highly valued the worker and the factory performance to satisfy the comunist party while the worker cant feed his family and doesnt have hot water to take a shower and electrisity for students to learn

[@Freshbott2]

@@GhostlyTeehee The same baseless argument is made about any industry or economy managed through rigid collectivist politics. Socialism is necessarily authoritarian. Corruption is part and parcel, not some other intervening factor. A system administered through compulsion will necessarily fail because bureaucracy isn't effective and incentives and ability to improve or invest in anything are destroyed. Anyone with the will to be productive gets to choose between be poor or leave. Poverty is the rule where socialism is tried and the mechanisms are well understood logic, not some borderline conspiracy. Pointing to other contributing factors doesn't discount the biggest factor. The embargo could end overnight, Cuba would stay poor. Even if it worked, it wouldn't make it right, stop being so insecure about your beliefs.

[@NaFran49]

@@Freshbott2 Well in Latin America many more people are starving and living in misery than in Cuba, that I guarantee you. Each one of these countries with open market economies, what do you say?

[@DSAK55]

Vietnam was fighting the US on 1,200 calories a day

[@lllool8404]

Death to US imperialism!

[@Milanor]

CoMmUniSt dIctAtOrsHip Great video btw

[@juanalfonso7701]

It's a communist dictatorship

[@050-ghiffaryramadhana9]

soCIALissst !!!! not commie

[@MatthewOstergren]

It's ironic that it's called that because they have tons of democratic institutions at every level of society and quite a bit of direct democracy even.

[@Moerp100]

@@juanalfonso7701 Look at their political system, it's democratic from the base to the top

[@juanalfonso7701]

@@Moerp100 Democratic my ass, I'm cuban

[@Toastcat890]

We need to slowly but surely switch from mass manufacturing to small sustainable practices in all our industries it would be better for the planet and in turn humanity.

[@dunguyen7571]

back yard farming is good and good and very good first of all ,good exercise convenience, need some things they are there and fresh save some money , not much and no chemicals that harm your health and no trash, compose leaves and grass are good for the plants

[@abusinessfromscratch4886]

It's good when you have a choice. Most of them do it because is the only way to eat.

[@JUANGALAN-UNIVERSOS]

Señores, debemos comenzar por el trabajo del ciudadano común y el mercado interno, de no hacerlo, nos enteraremos hasta las cejas de deudas internas y externas como andan el resto de paises...pensemos que la riqueza no es el dinero, sino el trabajo de mercado de las familias ...

[@chuckinchina6926]

Unfortunately, I don't think this sort of model can be applied to the US on a large scale, we are a net exporter of crops, and this industry represents a large portion of our economy. That being said, efforts can and should be made to reduce the impact of large scale farming on the environment. I am currently conducting research related to constructed wetlands as a method to reduce agricultural run-off in the Yangtze river valley of China, and will be traveling there to work on my thesis next month. China's agricultural pollution is extremely severe, in part due to lack of regulation, but also due to over-use of pesticides and fertilizers, and traditional surface irrigation which wastes a lot of water. I do think small scale projects could be used to great effect there, and they already somewhat are. I will be including this as part of my thesis along with water-saving irrigation techniques, and constructed wetlands. I think this could become a model for how to conduct sustainable agriculture for the future, and effectively bullet-proof our farms from environmental threats i.e climate change and what not. I'm really looking forward to getting started on my work!

[@DukeGMOLOL]

The impact of large scale farming is less that the impact were we to grow the same amount of crops under organic rules. I would guess China needs a lot of help and your expertise will do that.

[@starlytesfk5536]

This shows how free markets can't solve the global crisis of overproduction we have in our food sector

[@julian11d]

Cuba imports 80% of its food.

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Finally someone else who understands the situation there.

[@herrvonundzulustig]

The US citizens should start to grow there own food, I see empty yards every day with plenty of space!

[@mclark23]

The world was supposed to die of hunger in mind 1970's. Mathematically there was supposed to be massive starvation as population expanded and it was impossible to grow more food. Modern method prevented mass starvation

[@DukeGMOLOL]

Bravo Marco.

[@VegitoBlue202]

This, going back to pre industrial age without any form of technological use inside farming would cause a famine, wars, and inevitably nuclear Holocaust (literally causing or worsening the current mass extinction),we would have to merge old practices with current biotech in order for it to surpass Industrial farming in all metrics. It is possible just requires a new tech sector and agriculture sector in a socialist economy, decentralized and state owned farms should do this.