URBAN AGRICULTURE IN THE CITY OF MATANZAS, CUBA: TRENDS FROM 2020 TO 2025

Urban agriculture encompasses the cultivation, processing and distribution of agricultural produce (whether food or otherwise) in urban and suburban areas. Since the Special Period, Cuba has encouraged the cultivation of food in cities and their surrounding areas, facilitating access to fresh, high-quality vegetables, reducing the need for handling, eliminating fuel consumption during transport from the countryside to the city, and catering to different age groups and vulnerable people, amongst other benefits. The aim of this study is to assess whether urban agriculture in the city of Matanzas can provide nutritional, environmental, economic and social benefits to the surrounding communities. Increasing food production through the Urban, Suburban and Family Farming Group is a priority in this municipality. We have found that organopónicos aim to serve as a source of food, offering an alternative for food sovereignty, resilience, sustainability and local development; in many cases, they employ agroecological practices and, in all cases, utilise local resources, thereby promoting green spaces and improving air quality.