Although the title of this book may imply otherwise, this book is not only about Castro's agricultural projects. They are used as examples of his leadership style during almost 50 years. When faced with the task of evaluating Castro's follies, it is very difficult to escape the temptation of using a little Cuban humor. It could not be otherwise. Fidel Castro promised to take Cuba to the top place on this planet on almost every commodity. By doing so, he was making fun of his people and the rest of the world. He was offending their intelligence. He was exposing himself to ridicule and scorn. Don Quixote de Birán exercised absolute power over Cuba's economy. In agriculture, he did so through the so-called Fidel's Special Plans. . These pages reveal the degree of delusional foolishness shared with the real Don Quixote. His failures were financed first by several means of expropriation and then by borrowing with no apparent intention of paying back. Soviet subsidies and loans from western countries helped him in his plans. Many people are using the mild reforms undertaken by the Raúl Castro regime to declare, This time is different, as stated in the book written by Reinhart and Rogoff when studying 800 years of financial folly. The probabilities for that to be true are slim. If the opportunity arises, this time will be the same. Cuba's past behavior, current economic conditions and the nature of the regime testify to that fact.
About the Author: José Álvarez was born in Antilla, Oriente, Cuba in 1940. At the age of 10, his parents sent him to a religious boarding school in Santiago de Cuba, the provincial capital. Months later, Fulgencio Batista and a small group of military officers took power by force and started a dictatorship that would last almost seven years. Despite his age, he opposed the new regime since the first day and enrolled in clandestine organizations. When Fidel Castro founded the 26 of July Revolutionary Movement in 1955, he became a member until it was disbanded by Castro himself after taking power in 1959. Almost three years later, he dropped out of Law School, resigned his position and applied for permission to leave the country. In early February 1969, he was able to travel to the United States with his wife and their 5-year-old daughter. They went to Gainesville, Florida, where he graduated with a Ph.D. in food and resource economics from the University of Florida in 1977, becoming a member of its faculty. After a productive academic career that included over 300 publications, more than 50 presentations in national and foreign events, and numerous grants and awards, José Álvarez retired in 2004, receiving the title of Emeritus Professor. He founded the project Rethinking the Cuban rebellion of 1952-59 (http: //josepepinalvarez.com). Some of the 16 books he has published, have received an equal number of national and international awards including Florida Book Awards, International Latino Book Awards, London Book Awards, Nashville Book Awards, New Generation Indie Book Awards, Readers Favorite Awards Contest, and several from Editorial Voces de Hoy. For his work on Cuban agriculture, he received the National Honor Award for Superior Service", the highest honor conferred by the United States Department of Agriculture to an agricultural researcher. He lives in Wellington, Florida, with his wife Mercy, his son Alejandro and daughter-in-law Monika, and his grandchildren Alexis Monique, Ricardo Julián and Niko Enrique.