Organopónico Vivero Alamar
Havana, Cuba · Operator: UBPC Organopónico Vivero Alamar (worker cooperative)
Overview
An organic urban farm in Havana started in 1997 by five cooperative members against the food crisis of the post-Soviet 'Special Period'. Around 150 members collectively manage about 11 ha, and it is regarded as one of Cuba's most successful examples of urban agriculture (organopónico).
Citizen participation
Residents of the Alamar district of eastern Havana work as members of a worker cooperative (UBPC), growing organic vegetables and sharing labour and profits. With housing adjacent and collective management, the farm functions as a neighbourhood community hub, and it runs an outreach programme with local schools where children learn growing and food education.
Operating model
A worker cooperative (UBPC) that receives land and water from the state, sources organic compost, seeds and inputs through state networks, and sells its vegetables directly and affordably to the local community as members' income.
Impact
Supplies hundreds of tonnes of organic vegetables to Havana each year and creates employment for many residents, including women and older people. Through school links and visits it also serves as a site of agroecology education, and it is an internationally cited case featured in the documentary 'Tierralismo'.
Land tenure
The state provides land and water, and a worker cooperative (UBPC) operates the farm on a long-term basis.
Crops
- vegetables
- herbs
- seedlings
- lettuce
Scale
110,000 m² — About 11 ha with roughly 150 cooperative members (over 180 workers reported); produces hundreds of tonnes of organic vegetables a year for Havana
In the media（3）
Web articles and features that cover this case.
- ArticleOrganopónicos - Wikipedia (Alamar Organic Farm, Havana) ↗en.wikipedia.org
- Article'Tierralismo' - the story of Cuba's most successful urban farm, Organopónico Vivero Alamar - City Farmer News ↗cityfarmer.info
- ArticleUrban Farm-Fed Cities: Lessons from Cuba's Organoponicos (SAGE) ↗sagemagazine.org
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