On Feb. 6, Cuba announced that 45,518 parcels of idle state-owned land had been distributed to small farmers, cooperatives and other Cubans who would like to learn how to farm.
The land distributions are part of an agriculture reform program that was started in September 2008 by the government of Cuban President Raul Castro. The amount of land distributed totals 1,827 square miles and is 6 times larger than New York City.
The parties who are approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Center for Land Control will be able to lease the land from the government for a period of 10 to 25 years with the option of renewing their lease.
Because the land parcels will still be state-owned, they cannot be sold for personal gain. The goal of the program is decrease Cuba’s reliance on food imports, which cost more than $2 billion in 2008. The U.S. blockade on Cuba is a major obstacle to agriculture and other economic sectors.
