Rural Cuba

Rural Cuba was first published in 1950. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions.

Impoverished people in a rich land—that is the paradox of Cuba described with thorough documentation by Lowry Nelson, passed professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota. Professor Nelson studied rural Cuba's problems for a year during his appointment as rural sociologist for the U.S. Department of State.

With the cooperation of the Cuban government, Professor Nelson directed a series of detailed sociological surveys of representative rural districts. Data were gathered in these surveys on the family habits, agricultural methods, farm tenure, income, educational opportunities, social activities, and level of living of more than 700 rural Cuban families. This material is combined with historical background, census analyses, and on-the-spot observations for a comprehensive study that fills a gap in the available literature on the subject. The volume includes appendixes providing a description of the geography of the survey area and a verbatim sample report of a survey interviewer, together with a glossary of Spanish words, a bibliography, and tables.

In this book rural Cuba's problems are thoroughly discussed, present-day progress toward their solution is reported, and suggestions are offered for future agricultural policies that could help enrich the lives of Cuba's people.