NEEM NC Delegation Trip to Havana, Cuba
-article by Jasmine Harris
The North Carolina Sustainable Agriculture Delegation recently visited Cuba on a trip organized by the National Environment and Ecological Management Corporation (NEEM) of North Carolina. The group was in in Havana, Cuba from January 14-22, 2011 learning about sustainable agriculture techniques and programs. NEEM is an organization whose mission is to promote sustainable-community development, to embrace food security and environmental health through self-sufficiency and ecological understanding and to stand against corporate actions that profit from the disruption and manipulation of nature and people.
The trip was led by Jeff Ensminger, the executive director and founder of NEEM, and hosted by Dr. Fernando Funes of the Association of Agricultural and Forestry Technicians (ACTAF). In the past, Jeff Ensminger has traveled to Cuba several times for the PABEXPO U.S./Cuba Agricultural Exhibition and he has taken trips with U.S. delegations to explore the sustainable agriculture throughout the country.
This trip thoroughly exposed the North Carolina delegation to the agroecological system in Cuba and the importance of preserving agriculture, which is currently our nation’s largest industry. The delegation group was composed of North Carolina farmers, Non-profit organizations, the NC Department of Agriculture and representatives of 4 different major universities, most being affiliated with either Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) or Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS).
During the “Special Period” in Cuba, much of their agriculture was lost due the collapse of the Soviet Union, forcing the country to adopt sustainable agriculture. This means that the country’s agriculture is currently nearly 60% organic without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides; therefore, there are millions of sustainable agricultural farms and gardens throughout the country. On the trip, the NC Delegation discovered that the Cuban agriculture experience can be obtained at a state-level as well here in the United States. Dr. Funes provided a basic understanding for those on the trip of the agriculture model in Cuba and how action was being taken to avoid resorting to conventional systems after resolution of Cuban-American issues.
The delegation also learned about the different organoponicos, which are large and small inner city farms, Organoponico Alamar being the most productive and successful. The organoponicos provide sustainable economies and support to the Cuban’s dietary habits. They explored the Indio Hatuey Research Station, where research is done on the diversified agroecological systems on things such as various crops, microorganisms, organoponic, pest management etc. The delegation witnessed the amazing work of the Villa Hortensia, an artistic farm created by agroecological artist Idalio Mederos right outside of Havana.
The trip to Havana really gave the NC delegation insight on what urban agriculture could do for the economy in United States and North Carolina, as well as methods that could be used currently to reach that potential. The agroecological industry in Cuba provides over 300,000 employment opportunities and community development to citizens; this system can provide lessons and serve as a model for the U.S. as the country makes its way out of it's own "Special Period."
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