Methodological design for the categorisation of cuban slow patios with an agro-ecological approach

Abstract

The paper presents the basis for the conception and application of the methodology for the nomination of Slow Patios in Cuba, based on the evaluation of different design and management indicators. Family courtyards in the country have formed a network of productive spaces characterised by self-sufficiency, local markets and community integration. Its methodological foundations have been inspired by the experiences of the Slow Farms nomination, the Oxfam project "Agroecological production and nutritional education in Havana communities in the face of the impacts of Covid-19", the Slow Food International network of gardens and its document "A Call for Collective Action", as well as the participatory categorisation methodology applied by the Slow Food Coffee Coalition to organic coffee in eastern Cuba. The work is led by the Sustainable Food Movement (MAS), a working group of the Cuban Society for the Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources (Cubasolar) and Slow Food in Cuba. The methodological proposal is based on the observation and experience of experts on the relevance of this comprehensive network, which has allowed the determination of 35 indicators grouped into three general axes and an optional axis, with the identification of more than 50 spaces that could become a network when the methodology is applied, with local, national and international impact. It is an instrument that will contribute to categorising, improving and replicating these spaces for the good of the country, the environment, the family and the community.