ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study of urban agriculture in Havana. The capital city of Cuba is one of few cities in the region where an alternative food system based on local production has developed. Agriculture in the city underwent a dynamic development in the early 1990s as a result of an economic crisis caused by the downfall of the Eastern bloc and an embargo imposed on Cuba by the United States. In response to this serious threat to their food security, residents established urban gardens in free spaces between buildings as part of grassroots initiatives. Agriculture was quickly institutionalised and is currently strictly controlled by the state authorities. This chapter contains a detailed analysis of the characteristics of distribution of urban gardens within the city space and indicates the main factors determining their location. The research carried out demonstrated that apart from the nutritional needs of the residents, the characteristics of the spatial and functional structure as well as different spatial planning models (including colonial and modernist) are particularly crucial for the spatial distribution of agriculture in the city. This chapter also discusses the structural and production characteristics as well as organisational and technical features of the gardens, along with product distribution methods and functions fulfilled. The research proves that agriculture plays a key and diverse role in the city’s spatial and functional structure; at the same time, it demonstrates a number of barriers to full utilisation of organic production methods in the face of limited resources.
