10%

The women feeding Cuba

Five leaders in local food production

Por United Nations Development Programme

14 de January de 2026

ESPAÑOL FRANÇAIS

In the Cuban countryside, where growing food is both a necessity and a development strategy, rural women are transforming the agrifood system.

With the training, support and technology provided by the ALASS project, implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and UNDP, with financing from the European Union, Cuban women are creating more sustainable, healthy and equitable local food networks by developing small-scale livestock farming and growing fruit and vegetables.

Leydi, Bellita, Marlene, Caridad and Diosmara are some of the powerful women feeding Cuba.

__________________

'Don’t be afraid, women!'

Leydi, Small-scale livestock farmer at finca Cacique in Placetas

When Leydi and her husband bought their farm it was covered with sickle bush, an invasive tree species. They didn’t have any animals or water. “Little by little,” Leydi says, “by pouring love into it, we built this place up.”

The Cacique farm is in Placetas municipality and has become a hotspot for the ALASS project. By incorporating technology and taking part in training programmes, Leydi has managed to diversify and increase her livestock production. Her land is now vibrant and productive, alive with sheep, goats and rabbits.

As she feeds the rabbits, she mentions that everyone who works on the farm is part of the family and that they all perform different jobs irrespective of their gender. Leydi acknowledges that she’s had to learn to do everything. “I’m pretty daring,” she says, and her smile reflects the confidence she’s acquired over the years.

When it comes to the challenges of rural life, she is unequivocal. “The advice I’d give to other women is that you can do it. Don’t be afraid, women!”

Leydi is proud of what she has built with her bare hands, alongside her family. “I love getting up in the morning and seeing the fruit of so much hard work.”

Low angle view of a metal windmill against a blue sky with scattered clouds. A tree branch with dark fruit and green leaves is visible in the foreground.

Woman in patterned sun hat stands with goats. She smiles, resting hand on a goat's head. A herd of black and white goats stand behind her in a grassy field.

'Confidence is my best outfit'

Delfina (Bellita), President of the Popular Council of Remate de Ariosa in Remedios

Her name is Delfina, but everyone calls her Bellita. Raised in a family that valued hard work and resilience, she completed a nursing degree and went on to work in several hospitals. She returned to Remate de Ariosa, in Remedios municipality, where she was elected president of the local government body, the Popular Council, a position she has held for 23 years. She walks through the town every day, listening to residents’ concerns and working on solutions.

One of the projects that Bellita is most proud of is “Mujeres con Alas [Women with Wings]”, a group of women farmers that she coordinates. The group emerged from a clear need: “Some women depended too heavily on their husbands.”

Getting there hasn’t been easy. After Hurricane Irma struck in 2017 and the Covid-19 pandemic followed, she felt that the town’s problems were too much to deal with on her own and even thought of moving. “But everyone was against it... they didn’t want me to go," she says. "And then the ALASS project came along.” Support from the project gave her the momentum she needed to pour herself back into her work.

Through ALASS, Bellita has led training programmes on gender and provided inputs for small-scale livestock farming. The women who took part in Mujeres con Alas now have the knowledge and resources they need to expand their livestock and fruit and vegetable production and move towards greater autonomy for themselves and their families. “Have faith in yourself,” Bellita says. “Women can do whatever they put their minds to.”

She still walks through town every day, saying with a smile, “Confidence is my best outfit.”

A group of eight women stand shoulder-to-shoulder in Cuba. The women wear casual clothing, including t-shirts, dresses, and jeans. Behind them is a building with a Cuban flag visible in the distance, and lush green trees.

Woman in pink shirt stands with hand on hip, looking at the camera. Behind her is a Cuban flag painted on a wall. The image is for a story titled,

'Where there’s a woman, there could be a business'

Marlene, Producer at the Che Guevara organoponic farm in Santa Clara

Marlene and her colleagues walk around Santa Clara with a cart full of fresh vegetables grown at the Che Guevara organoponic farm, an urban farming system emblematic of Cuba. She managed to get her farm back on its feet with support from ALASS.

“I came up with an idea to start a small project to explore how women could support their families on a hectare of land,” Marlene recalls. That vision led her to restart the farm, which now provides fresh produce to childcare centres, hospitals and vulnerable people. “The project really helped us take flight,” she said.

Driven by the dream of improving other women’s lives, Marlene has employed single mothers and retired women, and with support from ALASS, the farm now has better infrastructure, technologies and training programmes. She explains that in the 1990s, many women workers were part of farming brigades that sold their products directly to consumers. This tradition remains essential to ensuring access to locally grown food and strengthening the local economy. Marlene sums up the experience with a phrase that inspires her: “Where there’s a woman, there could be a business.”

Despite the challenges she faces, her optimism and resilience are unwavering. The group is now planning to expand its work and start selling a range of seeds. Their goal is to create a brand that associates their products with the community and leaves a legacy for their families.

Marlene stresses, “We ensure our prices are fair and avoid any form of overcharging,” reflecting the principles that guide the organoponic farm’s work and its commitment to the community.

Hands in blue sleeves plant small leafy greens in dark soil. The image highlights the labor involved in

An older woman in a pink shirt tends to a garden. She wears a tan hat and bends over a plot of green sprouts. Behind her is a sign that reads

Two women walk away from the camera, pulling a wheelbarrow down a dirt path in Cuba. The woman on the left has dreadlocks and wears a peach-colored shirt. The woman on the right wears a pink shirt, jeans, boots, and a straw hat. Houses line the path.

'By putting love and care into what you do, your dreams can become a reality'

Caridad, Cheesemaker at Las Margaritas farm in Camajuaní

“I learned to make cheese with my mother when I was little,” Caridad recalls. Today, she is known for her award-winning artisanal cheeses and an example of rural women’s entrepreneurship.

Caridad works from her farm, Las Margaritas, a genetic breeding centre near the municipality of Camajuaní. They raise and sell Saanen goats, a breed well known for its high milk production. When there is surplus milk, Caridad makes artisanal cheese, working alongside her daughters and husband: “My husband milks the goats; when he brings in the milk, I strain it, pasteurize it, chill it and cut the curds… Then my daughters make the cheese the way I taught them,” she explains.

Through ALASS, Caridad gained access to training with master cheesemakers from abroad, which helped her perfect her techniques. “With these new methods, the milk goes much further,” she says. The project also provided resources to breed more Saanen goats and connected her with other farmers, expanding her network of contacts and creating new opportunities.

She is now trying to make more cheese to sell to the tourism sector, while also sharing her knowledge with other women, encouraging them to achieve their goals: “I tell them that dreams often come true. It might seem hard sometimes, but I believe that by putting love and care into what you do, your dreams can become a reality.”

Every cheese produced at Las Margaritas carries with it the story of a family that works alongside one another, a tradition handed down from generation to generation, and the determination of a woman who transforms her knowledge into new opportunities.

A woman in a hairnet and apron stands in a kitchen holding two wrapped cheeses. Her white apron reads

A person wearing plastic gloves pours liquid from a metal container into a yellow strainer filled with white solids. The strainer sits on top of a gray bucket. The image relates to the story

A family of six stands in front of a yellow house. The group includes three women, two boys, and one man. The man wears a white cowboy hat and a blue shirt. A boy wears a brown cowboy hat. The women wear casual shirts and jeans. The house has a barred window.

'There are women like me all over Cuba'

Diosmara, the Pineapple Queen, fruit grower at Las Pascuas farm in Sancti Spíritus

She’s known as the Pineapple Queen, but her real name is Diosmara. There’s nothing accidental about her fame: the number of pineapples Diosmara grows and the quality of the fruit mean her nickname is well earned, and she carries it with pride. “I think I’m the Pineapple Queen because I put my heart into each and every one,” she says, laughing.

Fifteen years ago, she planted the first 5,000 pineapple plants on her farm, Las Pascuas, in Sancti Spíritus, and she hasn’t stopped innovating since. Today, she produces certified organic pineapples, fertilizing them with compost she makes herself. “I never went back to using chemical fertilizers,” she says.

Trained as an economist and an agricultural engineer, Diosmara combines theory and practice. She works with researchers from the School of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Cierro de Ávila. She has transformed her farm into an open-air classroom for young people from the area.

Diosmara sees diversification as a way of life. “I sell everything produced on this farm: fresh fruit, beef and meat from smaller livestock, milk, high-quality plantains, sometimes cassava, too,” she explains. Support from ALASS has enabled her to expand her small livestock production by providing access to new tools and training that are already delivering tangible results.

She proudly explains that there are times when she’s the only one working at the farm. “But that doesn’t stop me," she says. “What defines your life is what you are capable of doing... I think there are lots of women like me all over Cuba. We just haven’t heard of them yet.”

A woman and man prepare a horse for riding. The woman wears a straw hat and blue plaid shirt, while the man wears a baseball cap. They stand in a rural area with green foliage.

A Cuban woman smiles while holding pineapples in a field. She wears a straw hat, work gloves, and a green jacket, and stands among tall grasses under a cloudy sky.

Two women stand embracing; one holds a framed photo of an older woman with a pineapple. The woman on the left wears a plaid shirt and straw hat. Roses and a weathered building are in the background.

An older woman milks a cow into a metal bucket. She wears a straw hat, plaid shirt, jeans, and sits on a wooden stool. The setting is a rural area with green vegetation. The light is soft and diffused.

A woman rides a horse through a grassy field with a cow, Cuba. The woman wears a hat and plaid shirt. The horse is black. The cow is brown and partially obscured by green foliage. The sky is overcast.

A Cuban woman stirs a pot over an open fire. She wears a hat, green jacket, and apron. The cooking area is rustic, with wooden walls and a crate of pineapples nearby.

The United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer to recognize the vital contributions of women across agrifood systems. The Year will highlight women's centrality in food security and economic resilience and promote initiatives that close gender gaps and enhance their livelihoods.