Food Security and Sustainability in Cuba’s Economic Transition
-
Cuba has a planned-socialist economy and its main source of revenue at the moment is tourism and the export of healthcare services, which it does by sending physicians, nurses, and healthcare technicians to nations like Venezuela and Brazil. Gone are the days of sugar and tobacco being the main income source. Rather, the nation now…
-
With current movements and urbanization around the world, many farmers are facing issues where they have no one to take over their farms which means that farmers get old and cannot work the land anymore, forcing them to sell. During this trip we got the opportunity to speak with Usmani, a tobacco farmer who expressed…
-
To understand Cuba, you need to get a better feel of its demographic and general geography. Cuba is a long and narrow island located at the intersection of the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea. Spanning about 43,000 square miles, the island contains vast areas of farmland, mountainous and another highland…
-
There are many stories found in Old Havana. It’s a very sacred place for Cuban architecture and takes on the importance of reserving Cuban history. There were lots of fun moments held here: from eating delicious mango ice cream and chocolates with friends, listening to local bands at restaurants, to observing the lively nightlife the…
-
One word to describe the Casa particulares is “home.” As soon as my housemate and I stepped foot into la casa de Migdalia we instantly felt welcomed. We learned so much from her regardless of some of the language barriers. She would always conduct general maintenance of our rooms when my housemate and I went…
-
El Malecón held a very special place for me during my trip here in Vedado, Cuba. This boardwalk is over 4.5 kilometers along the coast of Havana and carried the most spectacular view. It’s a place for decompressing and reflecting. It’s a place where your eyes can choose to watch and fall in love with…
-
If you clicked on this blog post to find the answer to that question, look no further than Las Terrazas which is located near Pinar del Río. Las Terrazas is a small community that focuses on sustainability and the public health of community members in that town. Visitors to this area can not only stay…
-
Leading up to the trip, I had some worries and I was apprehensive about how the 12 days would go by. Before the trip, the leading faculty members for the trip made us watch “The Cuba Libre Story” on Netflix, which was a documentary that briefly described Cuba’s history and how it became the country…
-
On day 8 of our study abroad trip, our group visited the Artemisa Province which is located about an hour and a half southwest of Havana. The farm that we visited is run by a couple who immigrated to Cuba to live their dream of being farmers. They wanted to focus on sustainable agriculture and…
-
Aside from everything we learned regarding agriculture, economics, politics, food security, and healthcare, I was able to experience so many unique aspects of Cuban culture. Cubans evidently have a very strong passion for music, dance, art, and food- which also appeared to be their primary forms of entertainment. We spent one night in Viñales, a…