Permaculture: Steps Toward A Sustainable World

By Hannah Shami

Throughout my week stay in Cuba, I had the opportunity to learn about and tour agricultural farms both within the city of Havana as well in rural Soroa. I spoke with the farmers and scholars through the Antonio Nuñez Jimenez Foundation. 

At the Foundation, I was taught about the development and integration of permaculture into Cubans’ every day lives. The purpose behind permaculture is to be a sustainable resource for growing the things necessary to survive. From produce, to raising livestock, this method is designed to be a reliable resource where the farmers use readily available resources to produce what they need.

I learned about the use of a dry toilet to fertilize the soil in the farms. By separating the wet and dry human waste, the feces is dried and re-purposed to fertilize the trees and any produce that either isn’t consumed by humans or vegetables that will be cooked thoroughly. This concept of the dry toilet is still fairly new, and not readily adapted by some, but is a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to keep their gardens fertile.

I also got to see permaculture on a much larger scale at the farm Finca Marta, owned and cared for by Fernando Funes. He sells his produce at local markets and to restaurants in Havana.

These farms that I visited were beautiful in their own way, with glass bottles and repurposed containers used throughout the farms, it was the epitome of sustainable agriculture and presented in a way that I had never seen before. Witnessing that for myself was something that changed my outlook on farming and opened my eyes to the way Americans should try to adapt sustainable practices into their everyday lives.