In Indonesia this would mean putting palm-oil plantations not on forest land but on degraded land, of which it has perhaps 40m hectares available.

ECONOMIST: Tropical forests�� best hope

Prior to the "Special Period" Cuba had been a heavy user of oil-based chemical fertilizers, and much of the land was heavily degraded, requiring years of careful manuring to restore fertility.

CNN: Can the West cultivate ideas from Cuba's 'Special Period'?