August 27, 2014
We recently caught up with Humberto Rios Labrada, who was awarded the Goldman Prize in 2010 for the influential role he played in revitalizing Cuba’s farming industry.
By encouraging a return to crop rotation and seed diversity, Rios helped decrease Cuba’s dependence on chemical fertilizers and increased the productivity and sustainability of Cuba’s farms.
For the past year, Rios has been living and working in Bolivia, teaching the sustainable farming techniques he piloted in Cuba to vulnerable communities in Tarija, Cochabamaba and Chuquisaca, increasing harvest yields and improving food security.
Soon Rios’ techniques will reach an even broader audience, as he recently accepted a position with the International Centre for development oriented Research in Agriculture (ICRA), based in Spain. He and his family will relocating there in 2015.
In the meantime, Rios is staying busy by leading training workshops and attending conferences. He recently attended the 3rd Annual Student Organic Seed Symposium at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, as a keynote speaker. The four day symposium focused on “Regional Adaptation for Sustainable Food and Seed Systems.”
