Fidel Castro brought Cuba back from the brink of starvation precisely with a "smarter" farm policy. For decades Cuba relied on Green Revolution techniques that required huge petroleum inputs. When the SU collapsed, Cuba lost its main source of oil. Castro's plan was to encourage local, organic farming techniques including urban agriculture. The result is that not only are Cubans not starving, they are eating healthier than Americans.
For what I have read, Cubans brought Cuba back from the brink of starvation. The main merit of Fidel was turning his eye to the other side when people began to break the official policies and do what needed to be done in order to keep themselves fed.
