Schiavoni, C. (2014). The Venezuelan Food Sovereignty Experiment. Solutions 5(6): 46-53. https://thesolutionsjournal.com/article/the-venezuelan-food-sovereignty-experiment/
Feature
The Venezuelan Food Sovereignty Experiment by Christina Schiavoni
In Brief
Christina Schiavoni
Practicing traditional agriculture in Comuna Maria Teresa Angulo, Sanare, Lara state. 46 | Solutions | November-December 2014 | www.thesolutionsjournal.org
In 1999, at the start of its process of social transformation known as the Bolivarian Revolution, Venezuela became among the world’s first countries to adopt a national policy of food sovereignty. Its newly reformed constitution guaranteed its citizens the right to food through a secure national food supply based on sustainable agriculture as a strategic framework for rural development, to be carried out through a series of laws, institutes, and programs. This move could be seen as a leap of faith for a highly urbanized country that had largely abandoned agriculture as it built its economy around its petroleum industry over the last century. And yet, against these odds, Venezuela has moved forward in its efforts to build food sovereignty, drastically cutting hunger while bolstering domestic food production. This has been carried out through a host of government programs, in partnership with communities, ranging from land reform to feeding programs to urban agriculture. Today, some of the most promising efforts toward food sovereignty in Venezuela are coming from citizen-run social institutions known as comunas, which are forging relationships and carrying out innovative projects across the urban–rural divide.