Sustainable agriculture, not cigars or communism, will be the focus of a four-person contingent on its trip to Havana, Cuba next week.

A delegation from N.C. State will travel to Havana and the surrounding area to learn about Cuban sustainable agriculture practices and work with world-renowned leaders of organic agriculture.

According to the sponsoring organization, The Natural Environmental Ecological Management Corporation, delegates will “see firsthand large-scale Cuban infrastructure developed to support its world-renowned sustainable agricultural system.” Delegates will also get the chance to work with world-renowned leaders of organic agriculture like Fernando Funes.

Headed to Cuba will be: Julie Grossman, assistant professor of soil fertility management in organic cropping systems, Yasmin Cardoza, assistant professor of entomology, Michelle Schroeder-Moreno, assistant professor of crop science, and Jacob Rutz, a sophomore in plant and soil sciences.

The CALS Office of International Programs requested that the group of professors participate in the delegation due to their strong background in international sustainable agriculture practices. When Grossman heard about the opportunity, she was immediately interested.

“I have had a fascination with Cuba for over 15 years, as it is an example of rural and urban ingenuity in agriculture production,” Grossman said.

According to Grossman, the fall of the Soviet Bloc in 1991 created what some call the world’s greatest experiment in organic agriculture. The island nation had an expansive agriculture system of sugar cane production, but their food production provided very little food for Cuban citizens. The sugar that the Cubans produced was traded to the Soviet Union for almost 60 percent of the island’s food.

“The resulting shortages of productive capacity forced Cuba to make a major shift,”  Grossman said.

This “experiment” will provide a great opportunity for non-Cuban citizens to learn from the novel practices.

“I am hoping that visiting Cuba 18 years after the initial push to develop these low-input farming practices will provide me with case studies I can share with my students,” Grossman said. “I am also hoping for fresh ideas for agricultural research questions and practices that could be applied [in North Carolina].”

For Grossman, the conference is not just about learning for herself. As a professor and researcher, she said that she hopes to bring back fresh ideas and teaching methods to share.

“Since it is next to impossible for my students to travel to Cuba, I am going to bring Cuba to them,” Grossman said. “I plan to document my trip with video and digital photos in order to bring Cuba into my soil science classroom.”

Grossman said she also hopes to use the ideas from the conference to expand her research program in North Carolina. The Grossman Lab studies legumes that organic growers in the state use to provide a free source of nitrogen to crops.

Rutz, who learned about the trip from working in Grossman’s lab, said the conference is mostly targeted at agriculture professionals, but he did not let that stop him from applying to attend.

“I’ve been lucky to be approved by the U.S. government to attend this trip,” Rutz said. “If you really want to learn something, why not surround yourself with those that know the most about that subject?”

A promoter of sustainable agriculture and a fan of Latin American culture like Grossman, Rutz said that he hopes to gain a real sense of what organic agriculture is capable of and how it can be implemented in our state.

“This trip will encourage me to continue a scientific understanding of the most appropriate methods and technologies for North Carolina’s organic agriculture system,” Rutz said.

For Grossman and Rutz, the issue of safety that accompanies international travel is of the utmost importance.

The U.S. State Department says that the nation does not have full diplomatic relations with Cuba, but Cuba welcomes American travelers and Americans are generally well-received.

“I have experience traveling to Cuba with another … delegation, and found it to be safe and welcoming,” Grossman said.

“Our charter company has ensured very dependable security both in our travels and in our accommodations,” Rutz said. “I have full confidence in the ability of those that organized the trip and our common sense to get us through unscathed.”