The Greening of Cuba

Before the collapse of the Communist bloc, Cuba's agricultural system was one of the most mechanized in the Third World. Now, a lack of energy sources and new equipment has forced Cuba to adopt a more organic way of feeding its people. Cuba sees this as a good thing, more nourishing to the soil while supplying its citizens with a healthier diet of fruits and vegetables. This documentary presents agronomists, government officials, and field laborers discussing the merits of farmer's markets, small plot gardening in the cities, and the search for new ways of increasing yields while minimizing the harm of pesticides. Presented in Spanish (with English subtitles, which flash by so quickly a viewer could get a headache) the film sports many scenes of campesinos bolstering revolutionary fervor by singing patriotic songs in their spare time, and no dissenting voices are heard. A little one-sided, the video's purpose seems as much political as agricultural, sending a message that the American blockade will not alter the course of Cuba's revolution (although the U.S. recently unveiled plans to help Cuba shift to a free market economy and democracy once Castro is gone). Not a necessary purchase for most libraries. Aud: C. (S. Rees)