Cuba’s countryside is beset by scarcities, but innovative farmers are helping feed themselves and their communities through agroecology.
Also:
- Marco Rubio’s de facto travel ban on Cuban athletes
- Miami tax collector to “crack down” on companies for Cuba business
- U.S. sanctions cost Cuba $440 million in agrifood in one year
Cuban Farmers Turn to Agroecology
Cuba is widely recognized as a world reference for agroecology. What started as a way to reduce dependence on imported fertilizer and pesticides has grown into a nationwide network of small farms using agroecology to pursue food sovereignty.
Amid food, seed and fertilizer shortages, agroecology on the island is more vital than ever.
WATCH the first video in our four-part series on Cuban agroecology. And on October 8, check out the Youtube premiere of Our Agroecology, Our Future, a documentary we produced in collaboration with the Caribbean Agroecology Institute.
Rubio’s De Facto Travel Ban on Cuban Athletes
In case you missed our story last week on Marco Rubio’s war on Cuban athletes, it was republished yesterday in collaboration with Jacobin – read it HERE.
You can also hear from some of the players who have had their visas denied, like Cuba’s national women’s volleyball team…
And Cuba’s national men’s basketball team…
Join us in Cuba this November and December!
Join us on Belly of the Beast's first-ever trip to the island this November or December!
Explore Havana and meet the inspiring people shaping Cuba's future on a guided trip led by Belly of the Beast's award-winning journalists and filmmakers. You'll visit farms, health clinics and community projects — and join exclusive screenings and conversations with members of our team.
DETAILS HERE
In Other News
Miami tax collector to “crack down” on companies for Cuba business. Miami Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez said earlier this month that he will be “cracking down on businesses that illegally engage in commerce” with Cuba. The official said he has discussed the issue with the State and Treasury Departments and with Republican members of Congress representing Miami districts. Last month, Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) sent a letter to the State and Treasury Departments to “take legal action” against south Florida companies providing services related to Cuba. Several companies fit the bill. They not only play a role in helping people in Cuba; they also provide jobs in Salazar’s and Fernandez’s state. Fernandez told the Miami Herald he will be sending letters to violators in the coming weeks as soon as he gets written confirmation from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which provides licenses to U.S. companies doing business with Cuba.
U.S. sanctions cost Cuba $440 million in agrifood in a year. Cuba’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Anayansi Rodríguez told the UN that U.S. sanctions cost Cuba more than $440 million in agriculture and food between March 2023 and February 2024. The blockade, she said, “prevents and hinders” purchases of "fertilizers, agricultural machinery, fuel, chemical products, and essential technologies." Sanctions also lock the country out of finance for agricultural development, infrastructure modernization and climate change adaptation programs, she added.
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