▁in ▁ 1 9 8 9 ▁to ▁ 1 , 8 0 0 ▁cal ories ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 5 . ▁Prote in ▁consumption ▁pl um met ed ▁ 4 0 %. ▁ ▁To ▁address ▁this , ▁Cuba ▁began ▁to ▁seek ▁ways ▁to ▁increase ▁its ▁food ▁production . ▁This ▁was ▁done ▁through ▁the ▁creation ▁of ▁small ▁private ▁far ms ▁and ▁thousands ▁of ▁pocket - s ized ▁urban ▁market ▁gard ens . ▁L ack ing ▁many ▁chemical s ▁and ▁fert il izers , ▁much ▁food ▁became ▁de ▁fact o ▁organ ic . ▁Th ous ands ▁of ▁new ▁urban ▁individual ▁far mers ▁called ▁par cel eros ▁( for ▁their ▁par cel as , ▁or ▁plots ) ▁emer ged . ▁They ▁formed ▁and ▁developed ▁far mer ▁co oper atives ▁and ▁far mers ▁mark ets . ▁These ▁urban ▁far mers ▁were ▁supported ▁by ▁the ▁Cub an ▁Ministry ▁of ▁Agricult ure ▁( MIN AG RI ), ▁who ▁provided ▁university ▁exper ts ▁to ▁train ▁volunte ers ▁in ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁bi op estic ides ▁and ▁benef icial ▁insect s . ▁ ▁Without ▁artificial ▁fert il izers , ▁hydro pon ic ▁equipment ▁from ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union ▁was ▁no ▁longer ▁us able . ▁Instead , ▁this ▁was ▁converted ▁for ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁organ ic ▁garden ing . ▁The ▁original ▁hydro pon ic ▁units , ▁long ▁c ement ▁plant ing ▁tr ough s ▁and ▁raised ▁metal ▁containers , ▁were ▁filled ▁with ▁comp ost ed ▁sugar ▁waste , ▁thus ▁turning ▁hydro pon icos ▁(" h ydro pon ics ") ▁into ▁organ op