KARNATAKA, INDIA, April 2011 (The Hindu): As many as 1,600 organic farmers from Karnataka will now get to visit Cuba to learn about that country’s achievements in organic farming. The Karnataka State Organic Farming Mission, which is organizing the trip, has chosen four organic farmers from each taluk for the trip. The mission had prescribed various guidelines to ensure that only small and marginal farmers were selected for the Cuba trip.
The mission was already in touch with the Cuban Ambassador and authorities there are of the view that December to June is the ideal season for visiting Cuba to study organic farming. The mission had particularly chosen Cuba for the trip as organic farming was being practiced on nearly 60 per cent of that country’s agricultural land. Organic farming was not just confined to villages in Cuba as a large number of urban dwellers in that country too were growing organic vegetables through terrace gardening.