Surviving Cuba's Blackouts: How Farmers are Turning to the Sun

TIP: For English subtitles, hover over the video screen and click the settings (gear) icon, select Subtitles/CC, then click "Spanish (auto-generated)", "Auto-translate", and "English" May 2026: Josh Wright from the SOLidarity With Cuban Farmers initiative, based in Canada, shares a glimpse into agrarian life in Cuba during the country's latest economic crisis. SWCF brings financial aid directly to the Cuban people, in partnership with Cuban NGOs, for the purchase and installation of solar energy systems on small-scale farms and organoponicos (market gardens)—a critical step in maintaining food security amid the island-wide blackouts. With the help of SWCF and hundreds of donors, three projects have been completed in Cardenas and Sancti Spiritus since the group's inception in February 2026. Following the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s, small-scale Cuban farmers have been developing a sustainable, permaculture-focused model of agriculture out of necessity (due to a lack of fertilizers, machinery, etc.). Now, the nation's supply of fuel is running low, and the power grid is collapsing—and Cubans are turning to the sun. In Cuba, challenges are frequently met with resilience, innovation, and community-minded solutions. The spirit of working together and helping one another is still very much present, even in the darkest of times. We stand in solidarity with the Cuban people. Learn more about our cause or how to donate at theurbanfarmer.ca/solidarity. Correction note: "Organoponico" (not "organiponico") is the correct spelling of the Spanish term for an urban intensive market garden in Cuba.