Leading the Diversity Charge
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Coco – his full name is Coco Pedro Felipe, but everyone just calls him Coco – knows better than any, the soils and seeds of Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province in western Cuba. He’s farmed there his whole life and, now 80, Coco is a respected farmer-leader. That respect, however, is due to more than just age; Coco has spent the last decade convincing his fellow farmers to find and protect underused seed varieties, restoring seed diversity and the farmer skill and knowledge to manage it.
As a result of years of industrial agriculture and reliance on commercial seed Cuba has lost most of its seed diversity. The National Institute of Agricultural Science (INCA) – USC’s partner in Cuba – is leading the charge to restore it, but they rely on farmers like Coco to help spread the message about the important role of small farms in fostering a secure local food supply.
| “We’re big important people too.” |
Sandra Miranda is an INCA Coordinator. She’s quick to praise the leadership Coco has shown among his fellow farmers. “He’s someone the other farmers turn to for advice,” she says. But she remembers it wasn’t always so.
From Doubt to Conviction
The first time a team from INCA visited Coco’s farm, in 2001, they were on the hunt for underused seed varieties. Among the few varieties Coco had, they found four they wanted for a collection they had started in Havana. Coco was doubtful when they claimed to have already collected more than 80 varieties. “He’d never seen so much diversity in Cuba, and even doubted such variety existed in the entire world,” says Sandra. When he and some of his fellow farmers were invited to Havana to see for themselves, he still had doubts. When he got there, he was shocked to see the demonstration plot, alive with so many varieties!
Taking the Lead
Each visitor was invited to select the seed varieties they wanted to take back with them, but Coco was already starting to see the bigger picture: replicate this demo-plot at home. INCA was happy to provide the seeds – 40 varieties – knowing it would be an effective way to reach more farmers. But even they were surprised when more than 200 showed up to Coco’s first demonstration!
Coco continued to organize demonstrations and encourage seed saving. With his help, INCA’s message has reached almost all the area’s farmers; and all are now saving more seed varieties than ever before. But Coco himself has gone one better. With a few other farmers, he now maintains a household collection of every variety he can get hold of.
Big Important People
Coco has grown from farmer to spokesperson. He talks about the first time he took part in a national forum organized by INCA. “Important people from all over Cuba attended,” he says. “When I was asked to speak, I was afraid and nervous, but I realized they were there because they were interested in learning from my experience and knowledge.”
“It was when I realized we’re all the same. We’re big important people too,” says Coco. Farmers, with all their knowledge and experience, are local agricultural experts.
Today, Coco feels his age, but he says he’s far from finished. “My father is nearing 100, so there’s time left for many projects and dreams still to come. I’ve come to see this project as a part of my family. These ideas of diversity are now in my blood. We’re the drivers of this innovation.”
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| Farmers’ fields in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. |
2 Responses to “Leading the Diversity Charge”
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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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Heritage seeds are disappearing and this must be stopped.
The heritage varieties had developed to withstand temperature extremes, drought, common insects and other natural conditions. It took several years to build up seed stocks from
survivors of natural conditions but it worked. No gene splicing, chemicals or other commercial intrusions to create a dependency on private and registered seed stock along with their chemical requirements.
This is a celebratory achievement and must be brought to the attention of farmers throughout the world.
Glen: “This is a celebratory achievement and must be brought to the attention of farmers throughout the world.”
Absolutely. And that’s what we hope USC’s work is helping to do. Spread the word!