[permaculture-oceania] DVD on Cuban Permaculture (unclas)

[Hill, Jackson FLTLT]

Russ,

This film actually does a great job of dealing with food security (and
affordability) issues. It discusses reorganisation of social structures
to achieve that affordability:
 - reorganising inefficient agricultural industries (large state-run
farms into smaller farmer-operated ones),
 - food tokens,
 - employer subsidised canteens,
 - changing agricultural cost inputs (from petrochemicals to labour),
 - changing legal structures (to allow for informal occupation of
fertile but unused land),
 - the role of alternative energy and transport in providing access to
agriculture,
(...and since the Australian situation is obviously different to the
Cuban situation the most important measures are...)
 - community involvement (in both production and preparation), and
 - imagination. 
Plus it is engaging and fun. I have only seen it once, but it has played
on my mind ever since. Its worth every minute of your time.

Jackson


-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-oceania-bounces at lists.cat.org.au
[mailto:permaculture-oceania-bounces at lists.cat.org.au] On Behalf Of Russ
Grayson
Sent: Tuesday, 5 September 2006 10:28
To: permaculture-oceania
Subject: Re: [permaculture-oceania] DVD on Cuban Permaculture

Hi Duroyan...
Thanks for your comments below, about Cuba.

I find difficulty in accepting your comment that  the "dictatorship" in
cuba isn't one at all - "Cuba has the  most democratic system of
government i have reserched or experienced," you write.

My concern about the Cuban government in really focussed on their
attitude to media freedom. There's more on this at Reporters Without
Borders:
http://www.rsf.org

On 3/9/06 9:43 PM, "Duroyan Fertl" <duroyan at yahoo.com.au> wrote:

>   The doco is quite neutral (it doesn;t really mention socialism in 
> cuba,  or the government at all). The fact is however, that many of 
> the people interviewed and who play a central role in nurturing 
> organics,  permaculture and alternative energy in cuba are (some of 
> them leading)  members of the government.

I don't think the issue is socialism at all, rather for me it's the
imprisonment of critics of the regime, especially media workers who have
a critical role in influencing public perceptions and attitudes. When a
regime of whatever politics cannot deal fairly and openly with criticism
then there is something wrong - and you only have to look at how
Canberra deals with criticism as an example of this.

The Cuban's engagement with local and organic food is to be welcomed, of
course, and I intend to see the film at the Permaculture North showing
and, if suitable, obtain a copy for showing to workshop groups.

Perhaps there is something in it that will provide clues about the
dilemma addressed by a number of organic food advocates in this country
- the fact that for people with low incomes organic foods are simply too
expensive.
This is an issue that I was aware of earlier but that has been
reinforced by health workers active with Sydney's Food Fairness
Alliance, a coalition of community and health workers, one or two urban
agriculture and community sector advocates, two people from different
churches and one or two from local government and the Permaculture
milieu.

Poverty, often exacerbated by government policy according to some with
the Alliance, infers that although local/organic food advocates should
continue to promote greater access to organic foods, however at the same
time they have to  recognise the continuing need for supermarkets and
non-organics because their decline would affect the nutritional health
of those who cannot afford organics.

We had a too-brief informal discussion on this at an Alliance meeting
recently. A community worker said that people in poverty were often
blamed for their condition - they lack a knowledge of home budgeting and
of cooking simple but nutritionally balanced meals, it is said. Yet, she
said, there have been programs to teach budgeting and cooking but these
have not changed the situation. So perhaps the problem has external
sources too, in the structure of the economy.

I wouldn't expect the Cuba video to provide anything useful on this but
perhaps - and those who have seen it could comment authoritatively on
this - it is of value in showing the potential of a local food industry
based on sustainable agricultural practice.

...Russ
 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
RUSS GRAYSON
journalism, online content production, photojournalism, instructional
manuals, media services for overseas aid

PO Box 1045, Manly, NSW 1655 AUSTRALIA
info at pacific-edge.info
P: 0414 065 203
www.pacific-edge.info

TerraCircle international development team, Oceania
www.terracircle.org.au

Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network
www.communitygarden.org.au ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^



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