Initiation to Havana's Local Food Production
Article 2 in the Sustainable Cuba Series.
From the plane window, before even landing in Cuba, I could observe that a huge proportion of the land was used for agricultural means.
Having read many articles about Cuba's impressive level of food sovereignty and local food production in Havana itself and other cities, I was expecting to be 'wowed' immediately upon arrival. However, in reality it took me a while once in Havana to actually discover this on the ground. My first various days in Havana I was staying in the more touristy areas of Vedado and Havana Vieja. After a while I moved to stay in Cerro, apparently one of the poorest neighbourhoods of Havana. On a stroll on the morning of day 1 in Cerro, I had already chanced upon finding a 'Casa de Semillas' (Seed House), various 'Organoponicos' (Organic gardens which supply produce to the immediate area), and endless numbers of 'Agropecuarios' (agricultural produce distributors). In other words, local fruit-and-vegetable-galore (and all for a very reasonable price, too). Finding any sign of this was so difficult in the touristy parts of town!
Immediately upon leaving the tourist areas, people became more kind and generous, and genuine – they weren't looking for money, and instead just wanted an authentic conversation or exchange. When we bought beetroots in the 'agropecuaria' and asked for a tap to wash them so that we could eat them straight away in a salad, a small crowd of local women unexpectedly gathered around us, all of them asking, “Wow, you eat the leaves?! What are the properties of the leaves? What benefits do they have on the body? How else do you eat them apart from in salad?”.
I experienced that it is common for 'agropecuaria' vendors to have impressive general knowledge about the properties and nutritional content of the plants and products they are selling. Upon asking with curiosity about some tamarind, the stall owner began to reel off all of the benefits that tamarind has upon the body. Would we easily find this in a Westernized supermarket or vegetable market? I doubt it.
Because the food is produced in 'granjas urbanas' (urban farms), almost all vendors sell fruit and vegetables grown locally in the immediate surrounding area. As a result, people eat what is in season and currently being harvested. Food that is out-of-season is simply unavailable – during our visit in April, vendors repeatedly told us that there would be no avocados or mangos until May, as the tiny unripe fruits were only recently beginning to appear on the trees. On the other hand, there were plenty of juicy ripe pineapples to be found!
Another thing I noticed is that purslane is rife all over the city, bursting out of walkways and between paving stones. Most people think that it is fit only for pigs or animal-feed, yet a good percentage of Cubans are in the know (especially those involved in the 'organoponico' organic gardening). Today I also discovered a type of succulent creeping vine-like tropical Spinach that I had never seen before, with pink flowers. After seeing it being cultivated in one 'organoponico', I began to notice it all over people's balconies and patios.
The 'Seed Houses' mentioned earlier are the main regional distributors to provide the agropecuarias and farmers of the area with anything they need for cultivation. The 'Seed House' that I visited in Havana offered the following products and services (translated from the photos below): Seeds; Seedlings (for fruits, trees, and medicinal plants); Work tools; Various types of organic fertilisers and soil improvers; Ornamental plants; Technical information; Plant pots; Veterinary products; Natural medicine; Technical consultants; Natural Selection; Other agropecuaria activities. The seeds and seedlings they offered are: Swiss chard; Leek; Garlic; Two types of chilli; Basil; Celery; Aubergine/eggplant; Broccoli; Chives; Radish; Cauliflower; Cabbage; Chinese cabbage; Onion; Pumpkin; Coriander/cilantro; Spinach; Dill; Sunflower; Fennel; Green beans; Lettuce; Melon; Purple corn; Parsley; Cucumber; Pepper; Okra.
I was later able to visit different 'organoponicos' (organic urban farms), in Havana and in other cities throughout Cuba. More coming soon about what I learned through the 'organoponico' visits...
