Informality in Cuban Gardens

Keywords: urban agriculture, Cuba, Havana, design
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Tuesday
Session Start / End Time: 3/1/2022 05:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 3/1/2022 06:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 38

Abstract

In Cuba, urban farming initiatives have found form in the well-documented backyard garden, as well as in state-run farms, food parks, organopónicos, and even the edible schoolyard. Somewhat less conspicuous are the informal efforts that occupy public urban space: interventions characterized by opportunistic animal husbandry and the improvisational cultivation of edible crops in public areas. Although these productive landscapes lie in plain sight, they lack the signage and spatial demarcation that signals an intentional undertaking. Moreover, while associated growers may benefit directly from the State's structural and legal support of urban agriculture, the informal nature of their gardens affords them the freedom to make their own decisions, try new techniques, and improvise.

This paper highlights the ways in which Cuba's informal urban gardens have evolved during the past thirty years, charting their genesis, changing structure, and collective conception in current cities. While these interventions might be considered informal in terms of their physical shape, management, and performance, they also benefit from strategic state support and cooperative social buy-in. Indeed, the backdrop of socialism stands out as a central factor supporting Cuba's informal urban gardens' success and offers up a progressive model for transference in other places.