http://www.foodfirst.org/ Food First Announces Our 6th Sustainable Agriculture Delegation to Cuba February 4th to 13th, 2001 Cuba is currently engaged in one of the most ambitious and intensive transformations from chemically dependant to organic, sustainable agriculture ever attempted. Join Food First as one of the growing number of international farmers and agricultural professionals to study and support this valuable undertaking. ·Visit cooperative & individual farms, organoponicos, biological control production centers, worm composting facilities, and research extension agencies. ·Learn about the policy changes and technological innovations that have facilitated the transition to organic systems. ·Meet the farmers, researchers, extension workers, and policy makers who are leading the transition. The $1,400 fee includes round-trip airfare from Cancun, Mexico to Havana; visa fees, double room accommodations; transportation in Cuba; 3 meals each day; program fee; travel health insurance; translation of program; expert trip leaders and reading materials as well as one year membership to Food First and a copy of the documentary video "The Greening of Cuba." Deadline for application: December 31st, 2000 Space is limited so send in your application soon -------------------------------------------------------------- CUBAN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE DELEGATION APPLICATION DUE BY DECEMBER 31ST, 2000 - e-mail to: [log in to unmask] Name Address Phone - Fax - Email Passport # - Expiration Date Issue date & Place Citizenship - DOB Organizational Affiliation Health Concerns: Dietary Restrictions: Experience in Sustainable Agriculture: Why are you interested in participating in this delegation? What are your expectations from this delegation? What do you plan to do with the information that you learn? List other special interests: ---------------------------------------------------- Why Should We Care About Agriculture in Cuba? In our efforts to oppose the destructive practices of corporate, chemical agriculture, we are constantly refuted by the myth that organic, small-scale, sustainable methods of food production are simply not economically viable. The popular perception is that toxic chemicals, the demise of the family farm, and the consolidation of the control over our food system into a few, powerful, transnational corporations are all necessary if we are to feed the worldıs ever-expanding population. Cuba is proving that preconception a myth. It is the first nation to attempt to convert the majority of agricultural production to sustainable methods. This conversion does not mean a simple substitution of organic inputs for chemical ones; Cuba has changed the very structure of its agricultural system. The formerly monolithic state farms have been slowly parceled out to cooperatives and individual farmers, thereby increasing their efficiency and farmers more security and control over their resources. In the cities, unused land has been made available to its citizens for cultivation, creating a vast system of organic urban gardens. The more than 8,000 gardens in Havana alone produced 541,000 tons of food in 1998 and accounted for as much as 30% of the nutritional needs of certain areas. Cuba has become a leader in the world of organic agriculture. Its research and development and its extension agencies have advanced organic methods in the urban and rural sectors. The National Institute for Basic Research in Tropical Agriculture (INIFAT) has research stations across the country that specialize in the specific challenges of their area. They construct and maintain nurseries and implement extension programs that provide technical assistance to farmers and gardeners. The Plant Protection Research Institute has created more than 200 Centers for the Reproduction of Entomophages and Entomophathogen (CREEs) that research and produce biological controls. The CREEs are located throughout the country, supplying farmers and gardeners with new and useful biological products. With continued commitment and international support, the Cuban organic movement can become a new way to think about food production. With so much hunger and food insecurity in the U.S. and across the world, and the persistent social and environmental degradation caused by our current system of agriculture, it is time for us to seriously consider our alternatives. Cuba presents us with a case where alternatives are practiced, and where they are succeeding in increasing food security and environmental safety. For more go to: http://www.foodfirst.org/cuba/events/2001/2-2001.html <END> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For SC email list T-and-C, send: GET TERMS-AND-CONDITIONS.CURRENT to [log in to unmask]