US thaw threatens Cuba's agro-ecology

Cuba’s sustainable agriculture at risk in U.S. thaw 

President Obama’s trip to Cuba accelerated the warming of U.S.-Cuban relations. Many people believe that normalizing relations will spur investment in Cuba and improve life for its citizens. But in agriculture, U.S. investment could cause harm instead. Cuba has 383,000 urban farms, producing more than 1.5 million tons of vegetables. The most productive urban farms yield 20 kg of food per square meter, the highest rate in the world. But if relations with U.S. agribusiness companies are not managed carefully, Cuba could revert to an industrial approach that relies on mechanization, transgenic crops and agrochemicals.