Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 1, January-March, 59-66, 2018 / Food accessibility in rural municipalities 59 Scientific Paper Study of food accessibility in two rural municipalities of Matanzas province, Cuba Hilda Caridad Machado-Martínez, Taymer Miranda-Tortoló, Saray Sánchez-Cárdenas and Juan Carlos Lezcano-Fleires Estación Experimental de Pastos y Forrajes Indio Hatuey, Universidad de Matanzas, Ministerio de Educación Superior Central España Republicana, CP 44280, Matanzas, Cuba E-mail: [email protected] Abstract A study was conducted in the Colón and Martí municipalities –in Matanzas, Cuba–, in order to determine the level of food accessibility by the population. The analyzed indicators were: availability based on the offer in the sale points in all the people’s councils and the total sales of the municipalities. For such purpose a total of 100 persons were interviewed, including farmers and customers, who were represented, proportionally, in 100 % of the people’s councils (six in Martí and ten in Colón). A total of 49 sale points were visited in the two municipalities. Regarding the most offered products, vegetables occupied the first place with more than 30 % of the total offer, followed by fruits and roots and tubers, with 21 and 19 %, respectively; then meats appeared with 10 %, and rice with an offer of 5,6 % with regards to the total. Beans were last, with only 3,4 %. It is concluded that the offer of food products accessible for the population of the Martí and Colón municipalities is still poor in quantity, quality and variety. Nevertheless, it is possible to solve this situation in two ways: on the one hand giving priority to the quantity of foodstuffs that satisfy the demands; and on the other hand, increasing the production variety and quality through the installation of irrigation infrastructure, and by utilizing idle or deficiently used land. Keywords: foodstuffs, human nutrition, food consumption. Introduction of different actors and sectors, among them the public According to Urquía-Fernández (2014), food and private sectors (OMS, 2015). Nevertheless, in security “jumped” to the front page of worldwide its reports about the world state of agriculture and political agendas due to events that were triggered food (FAO, 2013; 2014; 2015), FAO reminded that after the emergence of the financial, energetic and the official number of people with hunger in the food crisis of 2008, and vulnerability occurred in world is around 870 million, but the number of un- the prices of basic foodstuffs, which turned insta- dernourished people is 2 000 million (FAO, 2013). ble and volatile, which was aggravated by the lack The World Food Program (WFP) has elaborated of coordination in the response of the large world the following definition of food security: «Situation producers. All this, even, slowed down the advances that occurs when no person is at risk of suffering in the attainment of the first millennium goal, of hunger at any time» (WPF, 2009). When food is decreasing by half the percentage of people who scarce, hygiene, innocuousness and nutrition are of- suffer hunger. ten neglected; the population adopts less nutritious There are many factors that impact food acqui- diets and consumes more unhealthy foodstuffs, for sition: incomes, food prices (which will affect the which the chemical, microbiological, zoonotic and availability and affordability of healthy foodstuffs), other dangers cause risks for health (OMS, 2015). 1 individual preferences and beliefs, cultural tradi- That is why PAHO/WHO consider food secu- tions; as well as geographic, environmental and rity as an essential aspect of human health, under- socioeconomic factors, which interact in a com- stood as the nutritional adaptation resulting from plex way to configure individual feeding habits good balance between the food offer and nutritional (Zárate-Guevara et al., 2016). Subsequently, pro- requirements, because its manifestations are late viding a healthy feeding environment, which in- and almost always irreversible. Alterations in physical cludes feeding systems that promote a diversified, growth and mental development; abnormal changes of balanced and healthy diet, requires the participation body weight, with deficiencies and excesses; acute 1OPS/OMS. «Seguridad alimentaria en las Américas». Available in http://www.paho.org/hia/home.html Accessed 17/11/2016. 60 Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 1, January-March, 59-66, 2018 / Hilda Caridad Machado-Martínez and chronic morbidity; limitations in academic Enterprise and Matanzas Integral Forestry Enter- performance and in adults’ productivity; as well prise; besides having a pig production enterprise. as mortality in all the age groups are some of the Colón municipality is geographically located in short- and medium-term expressions of food and the central-eastern portion of Matanzas province; it nutritional insecurity, whose later manifestation is limits to the North with Martí municipality, to the human underdevelopment. South with Calimete municipality, to the East with Valencia-Valero and Ortiz-Hernández (2014) Los Arabos municipality and to the West with Peri- report some of the most widely used instruments co and Jagüey Grande municipalities. in Latin America to measure accessibility to food; The total geographical extension of Martí is thus, the food consumption basket or family shop- 101 225,87 ha (1 012,25 km2); while Colón has ping basket serves to establish global food supply 597,46 km2. Both municipalities have roads that link amounts, and constitutes one of the essential com- their most important urban and agricultural areas. ponents along with income information to establish The population of Martí municipality is distribu- poverty lines. Another indicator used to measure ted in 25 settlements, four urban and 21 rural ones. such accessibility is the so-called consumer price The total population represents 3,9 % of the total index; it is used to measure the changes, in time, of in the province. The urbanization degree is 54,1 %. the general price level of the products and services At present it has a population of 22 305 inhabitants, that a population group uses, acquires or purchases from which 51,5 % are men and 48,4 %, women. for consumption. From the population 60,3 % lives in urban zones As incomes increase, initially the proportion and 39,7 % in rural areas. aimed at food products, which is frequently up to The fundamental economic base of the munici- 80 %, remains stable. It is assumed that when the pality is supported on the agricultural activity, which food needs are satisfied, the expenses start decreas- explains that 54,5 % of all the entities belong to this ing and it can be considered that this is the point at sector; while 18,2 % belongs to the industry (salt in- which food security starts. Finally, the food expenses dustry and rice mill) and 27,3 % to the local organs tend to stabilize around 30 % when feeding stops of People’s Power (commerce and gastronomy, food posing problems (FAO, 1990). elaboration, and services for the population). The objective of this study was to determine The population of Colón municipality is dis- the food accessibility in two rural municipalities tributed in 47 settlements: seven urban and 40 ru- of Matanzas province, Cuba, from the offers of the ral ones. The population represents 10,1 % of the different agricultural products of the market. total population of the province. The urbanization degree is 82 % and it has a population density of Materials and Methods 115,99 inhabitants per square kilometer. At present it The work was conducted in the Martí and Colón has a population of 70 396 inhabitants, from which municipalities2, of Matanzas province, during Au- 49,7 % are men and 50,3 %, women. From the popu- gust, 2015. The markets in both municipalities were lation, 79 % lives in urban zones and 21 % in rural characterized by the absence of refrigeration or air areas, from the latter only 2 % is scattered. The conditioning equipment, and the merchandise was main population nucleus is Colón city, with 63 % of exposed to ambient conditions on wheelbarrows or the total population. counters. The economy of Colón municipality is based The Martí municipality is located in the north- on the agricultural and agroindustrial activity. east of Matanzas province; it limits to the North Within the territory industrial treatment is given with the Florida Strait, to the South with Perico and to sugarcane, fruits and vegetables; to cattle, pig Colón municipalities, to the East with Villa Clara and poultry slaughter and distribution; as well as to province and to the West with Cárdenas munici- milk processing. pality. The main economic activity is animal hus- Characteristics of the population sample. In bandry-forestry, which is concentrated in the Martí each municipality surveys were made to consumers Animal Husbandry Enterprise, Martí Food Crops and farmers, and sale points of agricultural products 2The data of the municipal characteristics were obtained from CITMA, the municipal museum, and from institutions of the terri- torial governments. Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 1, January-March, 59-66, 2018 / Food accessibility in rural municipalities 61 were visited to know the availability of different group of necessary products in Cuban markets; products, the appearance frequency in the market however, it should be considered that the stores and causes of their acquisition or not according to that charge in Cuban convertible pesos sell many the consumers’ and farmers’ perception. of these products, but with prices which, in general, To conduct this work, a total of 100 persons are only affordable by a small part of the popula- were surveyed in each municipality, including tion. Some products such as oil, sugar and rice are farmers and consumers who were represented, pro- offered in a limited amount to all family units with portionally, in 100 % of the people’s councils (6 in state subsidies, which, although not satisfying the Martí and 10 in Colón).