
Humberto Rios Labrada im Austausch mit Bauern
With his work he impressively managed to bridge the gap between traditional and scientific knowledge, an approach that challenged conventional science. As a consequence, Humberto Rios could continue his work only under the most difficult circumstances.
The economic crisis in the wake of the collapse of the Socialist Countries forced him to raise needed funds by giving concerts. His
strategy of grassroots activities also became an important element for the rural democracy movement.
Today, his network includes more than 50,000 farming campesinos of which 2,000 are actively seed breeding and/or propagating. While
industrial agriculture had reduced the available bean varieties to only 5 varieties, about 200 bean varieties can now be found in the 120 seed banks that Humberto founded. Today, 70 rice varieties are once again available in Cuba and while the corn varieties in Cuba had dwindled to one variety only, farmers now have access to 40 different corn varieties.