The Nature of Things: Cuba’s Accidental Revolution
Set your TiVOs: The CBC is rebroadcasting its two-part documentary about Cuba’s Special Period, when their agricultural system collapsed after the fall of the former Soviet Union. The film details how Cubans crash-restarted it with a program of permaculture-oriented, labour-intensive organic farming nationwide. It also shows how the nation’s diet became largely vegetarian, and the health care system switched to preventative care (eat an apple, go play soccer, dammit) versus Western-style catastrophic care.
I think it’s important because it shows what can (and eventually, will) happen here when oil and gas inputs to our food supply dwindle or vanish altogether. If you’re interested in food, period, it’s a must-see.
Part one airs Wednesday August 2nd at 10pm ET/PT (yes, YULBlog night, but tape it) and part two is the following Wednesday, August 9th.
Interesting side note: The director, Ray Burley, is himself a farmer whose previous work, Apocalypse Cow, documented the rise and ongoing threat of mad cow disease. (Salad for me, please.)
July 30, 2006 2:27 PM
Ah! This is what you were talking about last night. I don’t have TiVO, but I’ll try to catch it or tape it the old fashioned way. :-)
wrote René on August 4, 2006 12:13 PM