Cuban Farmer Returns to Oxen After Tractor Becomes Unusable Due to Fuel Shortages

Alexander Quesada has switched to oxen to pull his plow at Finca Burgambilia after receiving a tractor for converting a rubbish dump into an organic farm in Caimito, Cuba. The change follows repeated power outages that have reduced fuel and spare parts for agricultural machinery. Quesada, 52, had used the tractor on the plot named after the purple flowers at its entrance.

His farm had been cited as a model for local food production before the current constraints. Cuba's government has described the operation as an example of sustainable methods that require fewer imported inputs. Officials stated that a severe energy crisis compounded by U.S.

Restrictions on trade and finance has limited access to diesel and maintenance supplies. The restrictions have been in place for decades and were tightened in recent years. Cuba's relations with the United States have fluctuated over the past decade, affecting the flow of equipment and parts to the agricultural sector.

Quesada refers to the period a decade ago as the "Obama years," when a historic detente with Washington helped spur a tourist influx.