Live and Learn 9Cover crops and buffer zones to reduce runoff and topsoil degrada-
tion. Greater diversity of species and crop rotation to boost nutrient
ecology. The sustainability and reduced resource usage of circular pro-
duction flows where by-products of one enterprise feed into another
such as aquaculture and vegetable production. Or even more-localized
farming, which reduces transportation and rewards the breeding of
better-tasting plant varieties.
Such technologies lack the flash of quantum dots or the mystique
of “clean meat.” Their long-run emphasis is less attractive to venture
capitalists seeking shorter-term profits. Their old-school versus new-
magic approach embodies the kinds of practices I saw in Cuba two
decades ago.
Off and on, I’ve checked in on Cuba’s transition. By 00 , the peasant
sector controlled a quarter of agricultural land, yet it produced close to
two-thirds of the country’s food. A year later, the United Nations esti-
mated the number of calories available per person was higher in Cuba
than in any other Latin American or Caribbean country.
But in the years since, part of Cuba’s agriculture has reverted back
to more resource-intensive production. The country has once again
become dependent on importing petroleum and chemicals. The allure
of higher profits from more volume was just too hard to pass up, even if
it eventually returns Cubans to having to live and relearn all over again.
The standard of living that Americans take for granted partially ex-
plains why we avoid tough questions. But if we don’t channel apathy
into inquiry, that abundance will one day disappear. Going forward, we
need to recognize the power we have as consumers. After all, it is our
purchases that bankroll the modern food system. Stated another way, if
the grand food bargain were made into a movie, consumers would be its
executive producers. Without consumers, there would be no movie and
certainly no grand food bargain.
Seeing ourselves as just an audience for food providers does not
serve us well. Nor does reducing our role in making decisions to what
we toss into shopping carts and order off menus. Food providers are
fond of saying that consumers are in charge. They are correct: it is
consumer demand that determines what food is supplied. Yet there is a