Between Australia and Cuba: The Introduction of Permaculture to Address Sugar Addiction in the Economy and Strengthen Food Security

Cuban historiography is mostly divided between pre-1959 and post-1959 to emphasise the impact of the Revolution. But there are also dramatic continuations across the two periods. One of them is land-use practices, which were determined by 200 years of export-oriented sugar planting that left Cuba dependent on others for food imports, first the United States and later the Soviet Union. After 1991, Cuba had to suddenly find ways of feeding itself on land that was depleted from two centuries of monoculture. Permaculture, first developed in Australia and suitable for urban agriculture, allowed Cubans to address some of their food supply problems, making Cuba a world leader in Permaculture practices.