page_title: Rationing in Cuba
section_title: Other sources
hierarchical_section_title: Rationing in Cuba / Other sources
caption_attribution_description: The author of this photograph is me, David Shankbone. October 2002. A Havana fruit and vegetable market. Many Cubans rely on barter and exchange, or on connections with relatives and friends, to obtain the items they need. The system is often referred to as Sociolismo.
context_page_description: Rationing in Cuba refers to the system of food distribution known in Cuba as the Libreta de Abastecimiento. The system establishes the amounts of subsidized rations each person is allowed to receive through the system, and the frequency at which supplies can be obtained. While the food rations are not free, the ration fees are a small fraction of the actual price of the goods. Purchases of the goods can also be made outside of the system, but they are typically too expensive for most Cubans to afford.
  Despite past rumors of ending, the system still exists. As of 2012, a coupon book taken to a ration shop provided family minimums for rice, sugar, matches, and oil, above the average wage of $30/month. While most Cubans do not have to pay for rent, healthcare, or education, ration fees often take up a large percentage of their monthly income, and the unsubsidized costs of their monthly rations would be greater than the average monthly income.
context_section_description: The libreta is not the only means of acquiring goods available to a Cuban citizen, as many of these and other products are freely available on the mercado libre (free market) and mercado paralelo (parallel market), and in the numerous supermarkets and stores that sell goods in convertible pesos. (Such stores were originally set up taking United States Dollars and were referred to as "dollar stores". They began catering for foreign visitors but many are used mainly by Cubans). In addition, Cuba has an active black market (mercado negro, often described as por la izquierda – by the left hand) in many goods. Black market goods may be simply items sold by unlicensed vendors (for example, fish caught and sold directly, or home-made items), or may be stolen goods. Many Cubans rely upon connections and barter, or "sociolismo", to obtain the items they need.
caption: A Havana market, October 2002 - one of the other sources of goods.
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