1812 CUBA'S Agricultural Revolution: the Cooperative Farms

CUBA'S Agricultural Revolution: the Cooperative Farms

CUBA’S Agricultural
Revolution: the Cooperative
Farms
TOPICS: Agriculture Production In Cuba 



Cooperative Farms In Cuba Sustainable Agriculture



 12/18/2018 CUBA'S Agricultural Revolution: the Cooperative Farms
https://www.cubabusinessreport.com/cubas-agricultural-revolution-the-cooperative-farms/ 2/6 



An organic farm near Havana, Cuba. Photo: Cuba Business Report
staff 



NOVEMBER 10, 2016
Cuba’s agricultural strength lies in its ability to produce
organic foods grown on its cooperative farms. But the
concept of the cooperative farms is not a new idea in
Cuban society. Cuba established the rst
cooperative
farms following the enactment of the agrarian reform
laws in 1959 and 1963. The worker cooperative farms
were created after the Cuban Revolution following the
theory that farmers shared machinery, land and
management resources to increase agricultural
production. 



In 1961, the Asociación Nacional de Agricultores
Pequeños (ANAP) (Association of Small Farmers)
was founded. The government then gave 45% of
farmland to farmers who were willing to work on the
land as a cooperative. Today, ANAP is responsible for
managing resources and the dissemination of
agricultural research and technology.
Prior to the legal reforms, only a small fraction (8.1%)
of the population owned 71% of the land. The agrarian
reform laws led to the redistribution of land to more
than 100,000 peasants who started rural farming
associations. Later these associations merged into
Credit and Services Cooperatives (CSSs) where
members could obtain farm supplies and machinery on
credit. In the 1970s, some of the CSSs merged to form
larger Agricultural Production Cooperatives (CPAs)
that pooled land resources and began collectively
farming and working the land.
In 1993, a new form of cooperatives called Basic Units
of Cooperatives Production (UBPC) emerged, 



 whereby members owned all the farm produce,
machinery, and farm inputs. The government offered
farmland free of charge but the land is not actually
owned by the farmer. The farmer takes charge of the
land and agrees to cooperative farming. The
government then provides support to the farmer by
making available low cost loans for farming equipment,
machinery and tools, livestock, and irrigation systems.
New technology and agricultural research is provided to
the farmer by the research institutes. Data published by
the National Ofce
of Statistics and Information shows
that UBPC‘s control and manage 44.6% of Cuba’s
farming land. 



The cooperative farms accounted for 64%
of all agricultural activity in the country.
Today there are more than 5,700 cooperatives across
Cuba. Approximately 8o% of all agricultural production
is based on the cooperative farming model. The
produce grown at these farms provides food for
domestic consumption enhancing food security, food
for export and provides employment for more than
300,000 people. Crops are diverse, ranging from
sugarcane farming, coffee, cacao, tobacco, fruits, grains,
and vegetables.
Although Cuba still imports much of its food, the
government has implemented measures to help attain
food security and to rely less on food imports. 



Cooperative-based farming is a central part of the plan.
Government motivation for upping the number of
cooperative farms include boosting food security,
increasing landownership, increasing the open markets
where farmers can sell farm produce, provide lowinterest
loans and affordable credit to cooperative
members, enabling participation in the coop
organizations, stimulating economic growth and enabling farmers to access agricultural inputs and
machinery by pooling resources.
The ability of farmers to sell the produce of the
cooperative farms at the local markets, basing the price
market prices has been a positive move. This has made
cooperative farming lucrative for those who work the
land. Earnings can increase based on productivity of
the farms. There are reports of farmers on some state
farms earning as much as 60 CUCs (well above the
average salary) a month along with the benets
that
come with the job. 



To date, the successes achieved by cooperative-based
farming have improved local food production and made
it easier for farmers to access farm inputs. Increased
food production has led to food import reductions
reported at $15 million in 2011. If inefciencies
within
the system can be addressed, Cuba could one day
achieve total food independence.
At the same, an ecosystem of farm produce markets
where prices are solely dictated by supply and demand
is taking root across the country. Farmers have also
benefited
greatly, with over 13,200 farmers receiving
training and farm equipment courtesy of a program run
by the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture in partnership
with the European Union and UNDP. About 366
cooperatives have also received agricultural equipment
and training via the program. Landownership among
Cuba’s rural dwellers has also improved signicantly
thanks to the cooperative model.
The American embargo against, however, still continues
to negatively effect agricultural production in Cuba.
Fruit production, cacao and coffee production,
livestock, pig farming, bear the consequences of this
policy. Access to new farming technology, delays in
shipping from and to Cuba as well as increased shipping
costs hinder development. 



The world has much to learn from Cuba’s organic,
sustainable agriculture and its cooperative farms.
Cuba’s agricultural revolution has improved the
country’s food security and empowered the urban and
rural farmers. The concept of cooperative farming has proven to be a successful, highly functional and
sustainable. Removing the barriers of the embargo will
allow this rich land to feed its people and export its
surplus.