Agricultural cooperatives and food sovereignty in socialist Cuba

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the food sovereignty approach to food security, emphasizing the role of agricultural cooperatives and drawing on the case study of Cuba. As the Cuban state relinquishes top-down controls to achieve increased productivity and innovation, agricultural cooperatives are viewed as a more productive model to increase Cuba’s self-sufficiency and reduce the country’s reliance on food imports by incentivizing production though market incentives while maintaining a socialized form or production. This thesis focuses on if, and how, agricultural cooperatives utilize the food sovereignty approach to food security in Cuba. Specifically, it examines if, and how, agricultural cooperatives are able to increase domestic production for local consumption and provide food access to its citizens. Furthermore, this thesis explores the changing dynamic between the Cuban State and agricultural cooperatives – one that is both supportive as well as challenging – and how it can affect the application of food sovereignty in Cuba.