Abstract

SUAREZ, J. Integrated food and energy production at local scale in Cuba: bases for sustainable development. Pastos y Forrajes [online]. 2015, vol.38, n.1, pp.3-10. ISSN 0864-0394.

Internationally, it is essential to achieve food security, energetic sufficiency and environmental protection, which constitutes a global challenge for the biofuels vs. food contradiction. However, this challenge can be faced with the utilization of integrated food and energy production systems (IFEPS), which are diversified and more resilient, constitute an effective approach to mitigate the climate change and to adapt agriculture to it, and they operate at several scales and configurations. In the context of the conceptual and empirical contributions about the IFEPS at international scale, the purpose of this article is to show this type of practices under the conditions of Cuba in order to promote sustainable development, from the conception of agro-energetic farm and the experiences of the BIOMAS-CUBA project. In this article the existing types of IFEPS in the country are classified and exemplified; and information is provided about a typology of IFEPS based on seven indicators and an associated integral procedure, which can contribute to the transition from agricultural to sustainable agro-energetic farms in Cuba. Likewise, the challenges for the encouragement of such systems, related to the new context in the agricultural sector and in the Cuban rural and local development, are stated; and a strategic approach is offered, from the formulation of local strategies for the integrated food and energy production as a component of the Integral Strategy of Local Development of each municipality, and also for the assurance of its sustainability.

Keywords : Integrated food and energy production systems; sustainability.

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