It has been some time since we last wrote here. Over the past few months, many friends, guests, volunteers, and supporters have reached out to ask how we are doing and how life at Tungasuk has been affected by the challenges currently facing Cuba.
Your messages of encouragement, concern, and support have meant a great deal to us, and we wanted to share a brief update from the farm.
The first months of 2026 have been marked by challenges that have deeply affected daily life across the island. Like many other families, we have experienced firsthand the changes and difficulties that this situation has brought.
The increase in power outages and the growing difficulty of accessing basic resources have made everyday life considerably more challenging for families, colleagues, and communities throughout the country, affecting nearly every sector of society.
Adapting to a New Reality
As a family, as responsibles for this project, and as parents of a seven-year-old daughter, we have devoted much of our energy in recent weeks to organizing ourselves, finding solutions, and thinking beyond the immediate challenges.
Our commitment is not simply to endure the present, but to find ways to sustain ourselves—and Tungasuk—in the medium and long term, so that it can continue to be a productive space, a source of dignified employment, education, and meaningful connections.
Thank You for Continuing to Support Us
Since March, even for many of our regular guests and friends of the farm, reaching Tungasuk has become extremely difficult due to fuel shortages and transportation limitations. This has affected both visits and many of the activities we normally carry out. Like many local businesses and projects, we have not been immune to the economic impact of these challenges.
And yet, many people have continued to find ways to support us. Some have arrived by bicycle, others have organized shared transportation, and many have continued to trust the quality of our catering services, bringing a little piece of Tungasuk to their own tables.
What We Are Seeing in the Countryside
The situation has also had a profound impact on small-scale farmers. For many producers, transporting harvests to markets has become increasingly difficult, raising costs and complicating the commercialization of food.
In recent weeks, we have observed another particularly concerning trend. The instability of the electrical supply in Havana and other urban centers is affecting not only consumers, but also farmers, food producers, artisans, and small businesses. Many have told us that local demand has dropped significantly and that a growing portion of their harvests and products are finding fewer buyers.
This is not simply a matter of reduced economic activity or fewer visitors. Many families have stopped purchasing certain fresh or perishable foods because they cannot guarantee proper refrigeration. This reality affects the entire food chain, from those who grow food to those who consume it.
It is a worrying situation because many producers have few ways to protect their harvests and livelihoods. After months of work and investment, some are struggling to sell, process, or preserve what they have produced. We have heard several farmers express uncertainty about how much they will be able to plant next season, a situation that could affect not only local food production but also the continuity of traditional crop varieties and heirloom seeds that are part of Cuba’s agricultural and cultural biodiversity.
We share these concerns not to spread pessimism, but because we believe it is important to understand what is happening in rural communities and to recognize the extraordinary effort being made by thousands of farmers and producers across Cuba. Even amid these challenges, we continue to meet people who are planting, innovating, and finding ways to support their communities.
Continuing to Plant for the Future
In response to this reality, one of our priorities this year has been advancing projects that strengthen the resilience and long-term sustainability of the farm. We are working to ensure dignified and reliable conditions for our family, our team, and our collaborators, with particular attention to water access, sanitation, and solar energy generation.
This process has required a significant investment of time, resources, and planning, but we firmly believe that strengthening our self-sufficiency is one of the best ways to care for this project and for the people who depend on it.
Our Doors Remain Open
Despite the many challenges, we continue to find reasons to open our doors and share what we do.
We continue to welcome those who are able to make the journey to the farm to enjoy brunch or lunch, walk through the fields, learn about our work, and visit the meliponary alongside Don Evaristo—and sometimes Ceci as well—to discover the fascinating world of stingless bees and their importance to our ecosystems.
Sitting together around a table, walking through the farm, and sharing conversations about agriculture, nature, and community remains one of the greatest joys of this project.
Every message, visit, contribution, and gesture of support reminds us how meaningful it has been to build this space over the past twelve years and encourages us to keep moving forward.
Several people have recently asked how they can help. Those who would like to support the projects we are developing to strengthen water access, sanitation, and solar energy at the farm are welcome to contact us to learn more about the different ways they can contribute.
Email: tungasuk@gmail.com
Whatsapp: +53 5431 1698
Beyond any material support, we are deeply grateful for every visit, recommendation, message, and expression of encouragement. Every gesture matters and helps us continue building this project.
We remain hopeful that Cuba will soon find better conditions for its families, farmers, entrepreneurs, and communities. In the meantime, we will continue doing what we know best: growing food, caring for the land, sharing good meals, and continuing to plant seeds for the future.
With gratitude,
Annabelle, Alfredo, Cecile, and the Tungasuk Team
02.01.2026
