Cuban farmers return to oxen as fuel crisis deepens

Cuban farmer Alexander Quesada has been forced to replace his tractor with oxen as a severe energy crisis, intensified by a US oil blockade, cripples agricultural production. The case of Quesada's farm, La Bugambilia in Artemisa province, illustrates the broader impact of the economic downturn on Cuba's food supply.

A return to oxen

Quesada received a tractor as a prize for transforming a landfill into a productive farm, but now a liter of diesel costs around $3—nearly half the average monthly public sector salary—leaving the tractor idle. Instead, he uses a pair of oxen to plow his fields. "Ya estamos detenidos y más bien en retroceso," he admitted Source: Clarin. The shift has forced him to replace high-value crops like arugula with cheaper tubers such as yucca and sweet potato, which barely cover costs.

Economic pressures

The fuel blockade, imposed by President Donald Trump in January, has aggravated an existing energy crisis, causing blackouts of up to 70 consecutive hours in some areas Source: Diario Libre. "Los años de 'Período Especial fueron fuertes, pero no como esto," said farmworker Raúl Castillo, highlighting the severity compared to the 1990s crisis Source: Clarin. Meanwhile, farmer José Joaquín Rodríguez criticized bureaucratic obstacles from municipal and national authorities, saying "Está la traba del municipio, de la provincia, de la nación" Source: Clarin.

A decade of change

Quesada fondly recalls the "Obama years" when a détente between Washington and Havana boosted tourism and demand for specialty produce. Restaurant owners flocked to his farm for arugula, allowing him to invest in organic honey production. "Vendíamos un kilo de rúcula y con eso subsidiábamos 100 kilos tal vez de lechuga," he said Source: Diario Libre. That era has ended, and the farm now struggles to survive.