CAI coordinates the Cuba-US Agroecology Network (CUSAN). CUSAN was initiated in 2015 as a counterpoint to the interests of US agribusiness in Cuba and in solidarity with the agroecology movement on the island. We are a strong constituency of NGOs, academics, and farmers who support Cuba’s agroecology movement through cross-cultural engagement. We work to connect people, institutions and movements in Cuba and the U.S. who are dedicated to building more ecologically resilient, socially just and economically fair farming and food systems through agroecology. We do this by raising awareness about Cuba’s agroecology advances and challenges, facilitating partnerships and building capacity amongst stakeholders through participation in exchanges, courses, conferences, workshops and collaborative research. We also work to amplify Cuban voices internationally and to channel resources and opportunities to our counterparts on the island. For information about CUSAN visit http://www.agroecologynetwork.org/ or email margarita@vtcaribbean.org.
Research Initiative for the Sustainable Development of Cuba
The Research Initiative for the Sustainable Development of Cuba (RISDoC) is a collective of academics and non-governmental organizations from Cuba and abroad interested in engaging in knowledge exchanges on Cuba’s agricultural sustainability and climate resilience. The following organizations worked to develop RISDoC: Cátedra del Caribe de la Universidad de La Habana, Fundación de Antonio Núñez Jiménez de la Naturaleza y el Hombre, United Nations Development Program, Centro de Estudios de la Economía Cubana, Environmental Defense Fund, and the Vermont Caribbean Institute. These organizations created RISDoC as a collaborative platform to integrate and exchange knowledge and resources from different sectors. Through RISDoC, these organizations intend to engage in the development of sustainable practices, within the context of a low carbon global economy, in order to follow Cuban national parameters of sustainable development and climate resiliency. The main objectives are as follow:
We work in the following four areas, in which research on reinforcing sustainable practices and models in Cuba are carried out: (1) tourism, (2) agriculture, (3) renewable energy, and (4) climate financing. We have organized a series of events that have fostered exchanges and learning outcomes in the aforementioned areas.
RISDoC’s most recent event took place in December 2019 in the form of a seminar focused on the intersection of agriculture, biodiversity, livelihoods and food security. The seminar was tied to the objectives defined by Cuba's Climate Change National Strategy, Tarea Vida, and on the increased decision making power given to municipalities under the new constitution.
The Research Initiative for the Sustainable Development of Cuba (RISDoC) is a collective of academics and non-governmental organizations from Cuba and abroad interested in engaging in knowledge exchanges on Cuba’s agricultural sustainability and climate resilience. The following organizations worked to develop RISDoC: Cátedra del Caribe de la Universidad de La Habana, Fundación de Antonio Núñez Jiménez de la Naturaleza y el Hombre, United Nations Development Program, Centro de Estudios de la Economía Cubana, Environmental Defense Fund, and the Vermont Caribbean Institute. These organizations created RISDoC as a collaborative platform to integrate and exchange knowledge and resources from different sectors. Through RISDoC, these organizations intend to engage in the development of sustainable practices, within the context of a low carbon global economy, in order to follow Cuban national parameters of sustainable development and climate resiliency. The main objectives are as follow:
- Build learning opportunities for the academic community, and for representatives of ministerial agencies, local governments, businesses, associations and self-employed partners in Cuba, focused on the development of sustainable initiatives.
- Promote collaborative spaces for learning exchanges on sustainable development in Cuba amongst international actors.
- Gather, analyze, and disseminate information on topics related to sustainability in Cuba
We work in the following four areas, in which research on reinforcing sustainable practices and models in Cuba are carried out: (1) tourism, (2) agriculture, (3) renewable energy, and (4) climate financing. We have organized a series of events that have fostered exchanges and learning outcomes in the aforementioned areas.
RISDoC’s most recent event took place in December 2019 in the form of a seminar focused on the intersection of agriculture, biodiversity, livelihoods and food security. The seminar was tied to the objectives defined by Cuba's Climate Change National Strategy, Tarea Vida, and on the increased decision making power given to municipalities under the new constitution.
Community-based Climate Change Adaptation Planning in Eastern Cuba
Since 2018, CAI has been partnering with Ecothropic, and the Department for Environmental Services of Cuba’s Ministry of Environment in Baracoa, Guantanamo in eastern Cuba to facilitate community-based workshops and develop climate change adaptation plans. The objective of this program is to increase the adaptive capacity and resilience of five communities located within Cuba’s Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, and to accompany them in the creation and implementation of a Community Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change. The plans are designed by the community members themselves, with support from facilitators. Please see our reports here.
Since 2018, CAI has been partnering with Ecothropic, and the Department for Environmental Services of Cuba’s Ministry of Environment in Baracoa, Guantanamo in eastern Cuba to facilitate community-based workshops and develop climate change adaptation plans. The objective of this program is to increase the adaptive capacity and resilience of five communities located within Cuba’s Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, and to accompany them in the creation and implementation of a Community Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change. The plans are designed by the community members themselves, with support from facilitators. Please see our reports here.
| boca_de_miel_reporte_2018.pdf |
| naranjo_del_toa_reporte_2018.pdf |
Special Issue: Cuba’s Agrifood Systems in Transition: CAI’s Executive Director, Margarita Fernandez, co-edited with Cuban agroecologist, Fernando Funes Aguilar, a special issue for the open access, nonprofit environmental science and policy journal that was spawned by BioOne, Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene. This special issue aims to foster exchange and dialogue on Cuba’s agrifood system, from past and current sustainability successes and challenges to recommendations for continuing evolution towards sustainability under normalized relations with the U.S. You can access the special issue here.