Cuba reactivates urban agriculture in the face of a food crisis amid a pandemic

In the courtyard of a temple belonging to the Abakua Afro-Cuban religious brotherhood in Havana, Nelson Piloto is plowing the land to plant peppers and cassava to face the food crisis in Cuba. Piloto, 40, is responding to the government's call for Cubans to produce more of their own food, even in big cities, in any space they can find, from backyards to balconies. Near two giant kapok trees, considered by many to be sacred trees in Cuba, the temple generally resounds with ceremonies including drums, animal sacrifices, and dances. But now it's empty because coronavirus restrictions prevent meetings. "I'm making the most of the land," said Piloto, holding his hoe. Food security has reached the top of the national agenda in Cuba, with countless headlines in newspapers and televised round tables dedicated to the subject. The Caribbean island imports around two-thirds of the food it consumes at a cost of about $ 2 billion a year, in addition to key agricultural supplies such as ...