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Morning Edition · Thursday, July 16, 2026Published at 1:30 AM EDT · New York
Cuba Turns to Oxen as a US Fuel Blockade Deepens Its Energy Crisis
Farmers are setting aside tractors and using oxen after a January United States fuel measure worsened what one account calls the island's most severe energy shortage since the revolution.
Cuban farms short of fuel are replacing tractors with oxen, The Japan Times reported, as diesel shortages force a return to animal power for plowing and hauling.
The report attributes the deepening shortage to a fuel blockade the United States imposed in January under President Donald Trump, which it describes as intensifying the worst energy crisis in Cuba's post-revolutionary history. That characterization comes from the report, and Havana and Washington describe the measure and its effects differently.
The immediate result is lower agricultural output, higher costs for basic goods and added strain on an economy already short of hard currency and imported inputs.
Veracity: Corroborated
79/100- If true, who benefits
Both governments' narratives, Havana blaming Washington for the collapse and Washington demonstrating a pressure tool against states reliant on imported fuel.
- The nuance
The January measure and the oxen are real, but the "most severe since the revolution" superlative is attributed to the report, and Cuba's energy crisis also reflects long-standing domestic shortages and the decades-old embargo.
An open-source-intelligence read of how likely this story is true with its real nuance, not a judgment of any outlet. It assesses the claim, weighing independent and adversarial reporting. How we label confidence.
What this means
Cutting off fuel to a small, import-dependent economy directly reduces its food output and raises the risk of shortages and unrest, showing how energy access can be used as an instrument of pressure. Cuban households and farmers bear the cost through lower harvests and higher prices, while the case illustrates a tool Washington can apply to other fragile states reliant on imported fuel.
What to watch
Source: The Japan Times
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