Nikolay Kalashnikov

The publication introduces the readers to the unique experience of the project for elaboration of the social-economic development program for the special municipality Juventud Island organized by the Institute of Latin America AS USSR in 1978-1984 within the framework of cooperation between Soviet and Cuban academies of sciences. Its uniqueness was determined by the fact that it was the first field investigation in the sphere of social sciences together with Cuban colleagues and with participation of other soviet academic institutes representatives. The project was realized in two stages. The multidisciplinary approach to the analysis of the problems related to the intensive development of Juventud Island after 1967 permitted to elaborate economic-mathematical models for the development of the municipality, its agro-industrial complex, to give advices for the rational use of the natural resources, environmental protection, solving social problems caused by the quick population growth of the island. The results of the work were published by ILA in 1979 based on the results of the first stage in two volumes in Spanish and in 1989 in Russian after successful completion of the project. A brief summary of both editions is given.