Many people wouldn’t consider Cuba a green alternative destination. Cubans were, like a boat out at sea, left to fend for themselves due to their cultural and political evolution. Today, the country can boast be the globe’s leader in Organic Agriculture. Is the instinct to survive almost always a catalyst of innovation? Possibly. It could be said that the more humans are sheltered from need, the more we become passive consumers. Because of this, Cuban Agriculture, forced to stand on it’s own feet after the fall of the Soviet Empire, the principal commercial partner of the island, has rapidly transformed into one of the most organic on the planet. Suddenly, the country found itself without pesticides , fertilizers, synthetic chemical products and petrol. The government quickly implemented a decentralization of agriculture with the goal of encouraging small farm production cooperatives. The lizard-shaped island today counts more than 383,000 urban agriculture projects and at markets away from the touristy centre, there’s a sensation of tasting the true essence of the fruit. Mangoes, planted, grown and picked by the hands of “campesinos” are well worth any detour. In contrast, and paradoxically, when we enter the all-inclusive hotel world, the tourist is fed much of what he would eat at home1. The gap between organic and synthetic has been dug so deep that the majority of the population is accustomed to GMO products, and will seek them, even far from home. But for the avid organic foodie, and appreciator of a more traditional form of life, Cuba represents a first-class choice, with the condition of having an adventurer’s spirit and a preference for quality over quantity…
