Brazil is around 8,514,877 km², Cuba is around 110,860 km².
Brazil has around 963,000 km² farm land. Cuba has around 36,000 km²[1] of farmland.
If it were to convert all of its farmland into ethanol production, resulting in the mass starvation of the Cuban population, it could not produce anything close to what Brazil could produce. But how much could it produce?
Cuba uses 178,000 barrels per day of oil, which comes out to 28,302,000 liters of oil per day, or around 10,337,305,500 liters per year. Which means Cuba only needs to convert… 13,560 km² of their farmland to ethanol production. So the famously fat and never food insecure Cubans need to just give up half[1] of their food production!
Great solution.
[1]
Cuba has 109,000 km² of land, and many sources give the available farmland of cuba at 30% of available land… but also list it at 65.000 km². Which wouldn’t be 30%. I’m assuming 30% is about right given the geography of Cuba. It’s possible 63% of Cuba is farmland, which makes this slightly easier, but looking at google maps that doesn’t seem right.
Cuba has a huge capacity to make ethanol. Brazil does this.
Brazil is around 8,514,877 km², Cuba is around 110,860 km².
Brazil has around 963,000 km² farm land. Cuba has around 36,000 km²[1] of farmland.
If it were to convert all of its farmland into ethanol production, resulting in the mass starvation of the Cuban population, it could not produce anything close to what Brazil could produce. But how much could it produce?
We’ll be assuming Brazil’s sugarcane method is the most efficient crop for Cuba given their similar climates and growing zones. Which gives us around 764,000 liters of ethanol per km²
Cuba uses 178,000 barrels per day of oil, which comes out to 28,302,000 liters of oil per day, or around 10,337,305,500 liters per year. Which means Cuba only needs to convert… 13,560 km² of their farmland to ethanol production. So the famously fat and never food insecure Cubans need to just give up half[1] of their food production!
Great solution.
[1]
Cuba has 109,000 km² of land, and many sources give the available farmland of cuba at 30% of available land… but also list it at 65.000 km². Which wouldn’t be 30%. I’m assuming 30% is about right given the geography of Cuba. It’s possible 63% of Cuba is farmland, which makes this slightly easier, but looking at google maps that doesn’t seem right.