Food System Collapsed
With the Collapse of the Soviet Union

When the Berlin Wall collapsed, so did Cuba’s food system.

Cuba had been importing as much as 50 percent of its food from Eastern Europe under special trade agreements.

With the overthrow of communist governments in Eastern Europe, this was no longer possible. The country couldn’t afford to import food, but neither was it growing enough food to feed its population.

The situation was worst in Havana. There wasn’t even enough gasoline to truck food grown in rural areas into the cities. The economy shrunk by 50% in the early 1990s, and as many as half of the population in the city couldn’t get enough to eat.

Seeds in the City
© Knowledge in Action and
© Sound Development Communications Media
2004

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