Ration Shops

Here, staples such as bread, rice, beans, powdered milk (fresh milk is in short supply and reserved for young children) sugar and salt can be bought at subsidized prices.

There is meat available as well, though the ration allowance is as low as a few ounces a month.

Lining up at ration shops (or hiring someone to do it for you) is an everyday feature of life in Havana.

During the darkest periods of the 1990s, even basic supplies were cut back.

Many people turned to growing food to survive, even though this was against the law in Havana. Every available space was used – vacant lots, rooftops, balconies.

Seeds in the City
© Knowledge in Action and
© Sound Development Communications Media
2004

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