Cuba's national food program and its prospects for food security

Cuba's National Food Program aims to assure its population a minimum degree of food security during the current period of transition from dependency upon the ex-Socialist trading bloc. A number of important elements of the Food Program, however, were conceived before the demise of COMECON in an effort to deepen food import substitution. This paper reviews the degree of Cuba's food import dependence before the breakup of the Socialist bloc, the initial targets of the National Food Program, and how these have been modified due to the severe reduction in Cuba's normal level of imports of petroleum and other agricultural inputs. It is argued that Cuba's reliance upon scientific advances combined with a return to traditional, ecologically-benign agricultural practices and large-scale labor mobilizations have allowed it to overcome a drastic shortfall in production as a result of the reduced level of imports of modern agricultural inputs. At the same time, it has been exceedingly difficult for the country to maintain production levels at the trend of the late 1980s or to continue to aspire to meet the ambitious targets of the initial Food Program plan.Carmen Diana Deere is Professor of Economics and Director of Latin American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The author has been carrying out field research in Cuba since the mid 1980s, in recent years, in a collaborative study with colleagues at the University of Havana. She is grateful to Carollee Bengelsdorf, Ernel Gonzales, Cristobal Kay, Mieke Meurs, Lupo Nuñez, Niurka Pérez, Brian Pollitt, and José Luís Rodríguez for their comments on earlier drafts. This article is an updated and condensed version of Institute of Social Studies Working Paper Series #124 (The Hague, 1992).     

加快水稻科技创新 保障国家粮食安全

水稻科技创新是农业科技创新的重要组成部分,对保障国家粮食安全,促进农业增效、农民增收以及经济社会可持续发展发挥了重要作用。文章分析了加快水稻科技创新工作的意义及面临的挑战,并从学科建设、平台建设与协同创新等角度,提出了谋划我国水稻科技创新工作的初步构想,以期为“十三五”科技发展规划制定、推进现代化院所建设以及科技创新工程等科研管理工作提供参考。     

Scientific freedom, national security, and the first amendment

The Supreme Court may soon be asked to decide an important issue of First Amendment law arising from the government's efforts to restrict the dissemination of "militarily critical" technological knowledge. To resolve the issue, the Court will first determine whether technological knowledge qualifies for a full measure of protection under the free-speech clause of the First Amendment. The Court will then address the government's stated justification for restricting the contested information. This inquiry will evaluate both the gravity of the asserted danger to national security and the likelihood of its occurrence.     

Scientific communication and national security in 1984

The federal government's concern about maintaining the lead of the United States over the Soviet Union and its allies in militarily critical technology has led it to attempt to control unwanted technology transfer. Its attempts have extended to control of open scientific communication as well as the transfer of physical devices and blueprints. In 1982, the Corson Panel (an independent ad hoc committee) reviewed the evidence on the costs and benefits of controls and suggested guiding principles for government policy. This article examines the major policy developments since the Corson Panel completed its work. The stringency and the reach of government restrictions, either proposed or in force, go considerably beyond the panel's recommendations.     

Current issues and problems in welding science

Losses of life and property due to catastrophic failure of structures are often traced to defective welds. However, major advances have taken place in welding science and technology in the last few decades. With the development of new methodologies at the crossroad of basic and applied sciences, the promise of science-based tailoring of composition, structure, and properties of the weldments may be fulfilled. This will require resolution of several contemporary issues and problems concerning the structure and properties of the weldments as well as intelligent control and automation of the welding processes.