URBAN AGRICULTURE IN CUBA AND EXPLORING POSSIBILITIES WITH REFERENCE TO URBAN INDIA

With seven billion mouths to feed, human agriculture exerts a tremendous toll on the planet, from water draws to pollution, and from energy use to habitat loss. But there is also a growing set of solutions, from organic agriculture to integrated pest management. An urban farm or community garden can improve the environment, reduce greenhouse emissions, and improve access to healthy, locally grown food. Other possible benefits include promoting health and physical activity, increasing community connections, and attracting economic activity. Urbanization is one of the key drivers of change in the world today as the world's urban population will almost double from the current 3.5 billion to more than 6 billion by 2050. It is a challenge not only for urban areas but also for rural areas. Supporting the most vulnerable group in an urbanizing world, demands discussions on food, agriculture and cities in the context of rural-urban linkage. Now a day we see that globally concept of urban agriculture is quite popular. For example, the entire cultivated area of the Province of the City of Havana belongs to urban agriculture. As a result, more than 35, 000 hectares (over 87, 000 acres) of land are being used in urban agriculture in Havana! The serious development of urban agriculture in Cuba began simultaneously with the disappearance of petrochemical inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides, from Cuban markets. Consequently, urban production uses only biological fertilizers and biological and cultural pest control techniques. Urban agriculture is the practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around a village, town, or city. It can also involve animal husbandry, aquaculture, agro forestry, and horticulture. These activities also occur in peri-urban areas as well. In India we have practiced implementing urban farming projects cities of Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. My paper aims is to explore possibilities of urban agriculture with reference to Havana experiment.