A Reflective Perspective on the Experience of Undertaking Doctoral Research in the Agricultural Sector in Cuba during the Special Period (1998-2000)

It was in about 1992 that I first became interested in Cuba from a professional perspective. Rumour had it that Cuba was ‘going organic’ owing to the collapse of the Soviet Union, and I was working in international agricultural development from an organic perspective. If a whole nation were practising organic farming, this would have major implications for the rest of the world in terms of food security, sustainable agriculture and human health. If this was not happening, then begged the question “Well, why not?”. From that point, it took me 6 years to obtain the funding to undertake doctoral research in Cuba, finally receiving (perhaps unwitting) support through the EU Marie Curie Training and Mobility of Researchers Awards. My overall research objective was to evaluate the implications for both the agricultural sector and the food system, of the impact of widespread reduction in petroleum-based inputs, drawing from the Cuban experience.