Putting Cuba in Context
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When Ron and Jan Gibson – two USC Canada volunteers from Vancouver – travelled to Cuba in February, they made certain to set aside some time to check out the work they help support. They wanted to see first-hand how farmers were benefiting from the partnership with USC Canada. Their timing couldn’t have been better. Showing up just in time for a biodiversity fair, they were perfectly placed to witness a lively exchange of information and seeds.
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| L to R: Ron Gibson, Jan Gibson, and Sandra Miranda |
We were on our way to the farmer’s diversity fair in San Antonio de los Baños, outside Havana, and didn’t know quite what to expect. Our guide, an enthusiastic young researcher named Sandra Miranda, had already described to us her work with the National Institute of Agricultural Science (INCA) – USC’s partner in Cuba – as well as the Participatory Plant Breeding in Cuba (PIAL) program. She was passionate about the need for Cuba to cultivate more diverse crops and to become self-sufficient, since right now Cuba has to import about 50% of its food.
When we arrived at the farmer’s cooperative, we were immediately impressed: there was a sound system with a DJ, tables set out with samples of beans that the cooperative had produced, and a table of food dishes made from those beans – part of a cooking contest! About 23 local farmers were there, and the music and food created a festive atmosphere throughout the event.
The farmers talked with one another and the folks from INCA about different bean varieties, then, pencil and paper in hand, they trekked into a nearby garden plot to rate the dozens of bean varieties according to their preferences and to see which varieties to select for growing on their own farms.
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| Judging the Cooking Contest |
Jan, as an impartial outsider, was selected to be one of the judges for the cooking contest, along with Sandra and a local elementary school teacher. The ladies were all surprised when the top two prizes went to dishes prepared by men!
Since the PIAL program started in 2000, more than 8,000 farmers in nine of Cuba’s 14 provinces have benefited – including the farmers we met at the fair. They now have greater crop diversity, which has improved food security. The project also aims to boost farmer participation in agricultural innovation, making it accessible to all.
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| Farmers checking out a field of bean varieties |
The PIAL program is committed to the idea that farmers are the local experts on food production. Our guide, Sandra, told us about a study she undertook that indicated when agronomists judge the usefulness of a plant variety, they only use, on average, four characteristics. Farmers rely on nearly three times that many when they make their analysis! We came away from the visit with a greater appreciation of the vital and practical work USC Canada promotes among its partners, and immense admiration for the enthusiasm and dedication of INCA staff and the farmers they work with.
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USC Canada
was founded by
Dr Lotta Hitschmanova in 1945. Our award-winning Seeds of Survival program promotes vibrant family farms, strong rural communities, and healthy ecosystems around the world.
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