Organopónicos of Havana
Havana, Cuba · Operator: 地域協同組合・住民（政府の支援制度あり）
Overview
Born of the food and fuel crisis after the Soviet collapse, Havana's organopónicos are organic urban gardens that residents started on vacant lots and old parking sites in the early 1990s, spreading from the grassroots and, with state support, growing to supply much of the city's fresh produce.
Citizen participation
Residents build raised-bed gardens bounded by low walls on vacant lots and gaps, growing and selling vegetables organically as cooperatives.
Operating model
A cooperative model run by members, supported by government measures such as rent-free use of state land, with produce sold at neighbourhood markets.
Impact
Sustains city food supply through chemical-free organic growing, and became an emblematic case of community organizing and resident empowerment.
Crops
- vegetables
- herbs
Scale
空き地・駐車場跡・道路の隙間などを活用。2009年時点でハバナだけで都市農業に約3.5万haが使われたとされる。
Sources（2）
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
Related cases
Havana Organoponic Farms (Cuba)
CUHavana, Cuba
Popular gardens movement in Havana starting in 1991. Community groups and individuals cultivate state-owned land. Emerged as a grassroots food security response when Soviet Union collapse in 1989 led to oil shortage and economic crisis. Government provides support via composting facilities, veterinary clinics, and subsidized agricultural supplies. About 300 community organopónicos use 8% of Havana's land (35,000 acres), producing organic food that supplies each citizen with ~280g of fruits and vegetables daily.
unesco.org+2
Prinzessinnengärten
DEBerlin, Germany
A mobile community garden reviving a vacant lot in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Its DIY container growing and composting made it a flagship example of reusing idle urban land through citizen participation.
prinzessinnengarten.net
Huerto del Rey Moro
ESSeville, Spain
A permaculture garden on about 5,000 m2 of vacant land in Seville's historic centre, occupied by residents in 2004 for communal use. Grounded in recycling and self-management, it remains a rare green space and site of environmental education downtown.
una.city+1
Harajuku Harappa Farm
JPTokyo, Japan
A project turning a 1,500㎡ plot of national land in Harajuku into a citizen-built organic community garden for under a year (opened April 2025) — a flagship case of interim use before redevelopment.
project.nikkeibp.co.jp+1