Trabajo de Amor [Labor of Love]

Growing food is hard labor. But it can also be a labor of love. Ismar Garcé Palmero and Roger Santiesteban Anazco have been operating an organopónico in Sancti Spiritus city since 1994. The quantities they produce may seem like nothing (“una bobería”) in comparison to the large state farms (empresas estatales) where they began their careers, but using agroecology and permaculture – and building on their love for nature and each other – they are able to feed their family, supply their neighbors, and inspire a community. In an era of pandemic, climate change, and economic crisis, could this be the path to greater prosperity, sustainability, and personal happiness?

Trabajo de Amor is the final portrait in our series on Cuban Visionaries.