An ongoing collaboration between Pacific Standard and NOOR Images.
An Organopónico just outside Havana, Cuba. (Photo: Jon Lowenstein)
The majority of the labor at Cuba’s small-scale, organic farms is done manually. Cuban organopónicos are a system of urban organic gardens that provide job opportunities and a fresh food supply to the community, while also improving neighborhoods and beautifying cities.
Organopónicos first arose in Cuba as a community response to a lack of food security after the collapse of the Soviet Union. They are totally organic, use crop rotation and natural pesticides instead of chemicals, and help feed the local community. While these farms are publicly functioning in terms of ownership, access, and management, they are also heavily subsidized by the Cuban government.
During COP22, Pacific Standard is partnering with NOOR Images, the Netherlands-based photography collective. Check back here for more photographs throughout the week, and visit Pacific Standard’sInstagram account, where we’re publishing two special photos each day from NOOR.
