BOYEROS, HAVANA, Cuba—David González López, 34, (right) owner of La Finca El Valle Escondido (Hidden Valley Farm) here, shows peach pits from his harvest that he will use to grow more trees to farmers attending the Third International Conference on Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture. (See article on this page.)

After serving in the Revolutionary Armed Forces, where he was trained as a welder, González became a farmer, part of the wave of new farmers who since 2008 have been recovering uncultivated land. His farm is part of a Credit and Service Cooperative that includes a number of farms in this municipality outside Havana.

The National Association of Small Farmers of Cuba (ANAP) organizes some 400,000 farmers into cooperatives that provide loans, technical aid, access to scarce machinery, and help in selling agricultural produce to institutions and local markets.

González lives with his family in a small house he built on land that was a deserted area covered with trash and marabú brush. After trial and error, he found he could grow peaches as well as vegetables. For two years he sold only to the local community. He is now producing enough for the cooperative to sell part of his produce to area hospitals and schools.

—MAGGIE TROWE