August 2012
Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the U.S.
FACT SHEET: Urban Agriculture in Venezuela
Urban agriculture is a key strategy of the Venezuelan
government under President Hugo Chávez to increase
the food supply, fight poverty, recover urban spaces
and reduce the environmental effects of agrochemicals.
Thanks to government support and the active
participation of organized communities, this public policy
has flourished in recent years. This fact sheet describes
the most important aspects of urban agriculture in
Venezuela as an approach to establishing food sovereignty.
Historical Context: From Agriculture to Oil
Although Venezuela is currently known as one of the
world’s top oil producers and exporters, agriculture was
the country’s main economic activity for more than four
centuries. In the 1800s, the principal exports were coffee
and cocoa, and Venezuela was 70 percent rural, with slow
economic growth and a population of less than 2 million.
Changes came with the oil boom in early 20th century; by
1925, oil had displaced coffee as the main export product,
and by 1928 Venezuela was the biggest oil producer in the
world. Although agriculture still represented 22 percent
of the GDP and 60 percent of the labor force in 1935, the
oil sector grew steadily.1 In subsequent years, Venezuela
became a net food importer, and the rural population
went from 35 percent in 1960 to just 6 percent today.2
By 2003, agriculture represented only 6 percent of the
GDP.3 Venezuela currently has a population of 28.9 million
inhabitants,4 64 percent of which live in urban areas.5
Endogenous Development for Food Sovereignty
Based on these principles, in the wake of the oil sabotage
in 2002 and 2003 that jeopardized the food supply,
the Venezuelan government turned to endogenous
development as part of its productive strategy to construct
a diversified economy that favors human wellbeing, the
environment and culture. Endogenous development
refers to development from within, based on local criteria
to create proposals for satisfying local needs through
community participation and the revitalization of culture.
Meanwhile, new emphasis has been placed on the
ancestral knowledge and practices of farming communities
and traditionally rural indigenous and Afro-descendant
communities, and programs have been implemented
that favor family-based and collective agriculture at
a small and medium scale.9 This policy is reflected in
the increased availability of agricultural credits, which
jumped from $164 million in 1999 to $7.6 billion in
2008.10 Paradoxically, funds allocated to the country’s
agricultural development come from oil revenues.
Agriculture and the Bolivarian Revolution
After the Bolivarian Revolution began in 1999 under
the leadership of President Chávez, the recovery
of domestic agricultural production became a high
priority in the government’s agenda. With a new
constitution6 and new laws such as the partial reform
to the Law on Land and Agricultural Development7 and
the Law on Food Security and Sovereignty, the value
of agriculture was reasserted not only as a means of
producing food, but also a way to diversify the national
economy. Over the last 12 years, national agricultural
production has increased by 44 percent, jumping from
17.1 million tons of food in 1998 to 24.6 million tons
in 2010, thanks to the government’s commitment
and the participation of the Venezuelan people.8
Bolivarian Schools participate in the program “Agro Ciudad”(photo: Omar Sierra)
Food Sovereignty is “the ability of each state to define
its own agricultural and food policies, according to the
goals of sustainable development and food security.”
-- Vía Campesina, 1996
Urban Agriculture as a Government Policy
Venezuela’s experiment with urban agriculture began in
2003 as part of an agreement with the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization, and the government
took up this project in earnest in 2009 in response to
Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela - 1099 30th Street, NW - Washington, D.C. 20007 - (202) 342-2214 - venezuela-us.org
Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the U.S.
the global food crisis, establishing the Foundation for
Training and Innovation to Support the Agricultural
Revolution (CIARA) with support from the Republic of Cuba.
By late 2009, 191 agricultural production units were
created, mainly in the capital city of Caracas. In 2011,
the program got a boost from the creation of the Great
Mission AgroVenezuela, a national socio-productive
program to stimulate agricultural production. Its aims
include “strengthening urban agriculture as a new
scheme of food mass production in cities.”11 Through
CIARA, which is under the Ministry of Agriculture,
a new program called “Agro Ciudad” was created
to produce food in urban and suburban areas.
the elaboration of organic fertilizer, pest and disease
management, and other issues. Graduate students in the
Bolivarian University’s Agro-Ecology Program conducted
4,574 technical assistance visits to help growers.14
Environmental Sustainability in Cities
“Agro Ciudad” helps take advantage of idle lands by
coordinating, designing, and applying actions to improve
the quality of life of the population. The program has
transformed schoolyards, outdoor spaces near offices,
buildings, squares, houses and abandoned public areas
to put them to use in food production and improve the
appearance of cities. Since 2009, over 26 million square
feet of idle land has been used for food production.
Promoting a Local Solidarity Economy
The “Agro Ciudad” Program
As of May of 2012, surplus production through “Agro
Ciudad” goes to local markets so that residents can buy
fresh vegetables and boost the community’s economy.
These markets also articulate actions with other
productive initiatives through networks of food sales and
distribution.15 Three tons of healthy foods are sold at fair
prices each week in these local markets, which eliminate
intermediaries and pass savings of 50 to 70 percent
on to customers. These markets also provide a space
for cultural activities surrounding urban agriculture.
Popular participation in food production
Harvesting the Rewards of Urban Agriculture
Under the model of participatory democracy, the program
“Agro Ciudad” has been taken up by schools, universities,
community councils, cooperatives, families, collectives,
socio-productive networks, and other local groups. In its
first year, 1,600 people benefited from the program and
12,306 producers were assisted.12 Most of the participation
has come from women, children, and senior citizens.13
With an investment of $44 billion, Venezuela currently
produces onion, peppers, leeks, basil, celery, eggplant,
zucchini, cucumber, cilantro, lettuce, tomato, radish,
beets and green beans at a low cost in urban gardens.
By July 2012, 25,000 units of agricultural production,
including family, community, institutional and school
gardens, were opened in 10 priority states throughout
the country (Anzoátegui, Aragua, Carabobo, the Capital
District, Lara, Miranda, Monagas, Táchira, Vargas
and Zulia). Food production in urban areas increased
from 457 tons in 2009 to 6,340 tons in May 2012.16
An agricultural production unit in downtown Caracas (photo: Omar Sierra)
Training for Healthy, Environmentally Friendly Food
“Agro Ciudad” takes an environmentally friendly
approach to food production, and training is a key aspect
of the program. In 2011, 1,812 training workshops on
small-scale food production were held. They provided
information about how to build raised planting
beds, methods of planting and soil management,
Thanks in part to the government’s food and agriculture
policies, average annual food consumption in Venezuela
has increased by 25 percent over the last 12 years,
jumping from 873.7 pounds of food per person
consumed in 1999 to 1,102 pounds per person in 2010.17
Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela - 1099 30th Street, NW - Washington, D.C. 20007 - (202) 342-2214 - venezuela-us.org
Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the U.S.
The Venezuelan government has a social vision of the
food sector: food is not merchandise, but rather, a fundamental human right. That’s why it has developed independent and sovereign food policies forecasting scenarios of a global food crisis and the use of food as political
weapon by opposition sectors, which promote hoarding,
smuggling and speculation. Urban agriculture has become a tool of food sovereignty that is becoming popular
in Venezuela and strengthens families and communities.
Communities are in charge of the urban agriculture projects (photo: Omar Sierra)
SOURCES:
1. “Land for People not for Profit in Venezuela,” Gregory Wilpert, Venezuelanalysis, Aug. 23, 2005. http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/1310
2. Country Brief, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. http://
www.fao.org/countries/55528/en/ven/
3. “Producto Interno Bruto a precios constantes, según clase de actividad
económica, 1995-2003,” National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela. http://
www.ine.gov.ve/cuentasnacionales/PIBconstante.htm
4. “Población total de Venezuela alcanza 28.946.101 habitantes”, AVN, Aug.
8, 2012. http://www.avn.info.ve/contenido/población-total-venezuela-es289-millones-habitantes
5. World Bank. http://data.worldbank.org/topic/urban-development
6. Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, 2009. http://www.
tsj.gov.ve/legislacion/enmienda2009.pdf
7. Gaceta Oficial, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. http://corpocentro.
vicepresidencia.gob.ve/CFG/LAEEDMH.pdf
8. “Venezuela aumentó producción agrícola en 44% durante los últimos 12
años”, AVN, Mar. 30, 2011. http://www.avn.info.ve/contenido/venezuelaaumentó-producción-agrícola-44-durante-últimos-12-años
9. “Creating an Endogenous Development Culture in Venezuela”, April
Howard, Venezuelanalysis, Sept. 8, 2008. http://venezuelanalysis.com/
analysis/3778
10. “The Venezuelan Effort to Build a New Food and Agriculture System”,
Christina Schiavoni and William Camacaro, Monthly Review 61:3, Jul.-Aug.
2009.
http://monthlyreview.org/2009/07/01/the-venezuelan-effort-tobuild-a-new-food-and-agriculture-system
11. Presentación de Martha Bolívar, Fundación CIARA, 2012.
12. “El proyecto de desarrollo y consolidación de la agricultura urbana”,
Fundación CIARA, 2012. http://www.ciara.gob.ve/agricultura_urbana.html
13. “Entrevista a Martha Bolívar,” Omar Sierra, Aporrea, Aug. 7, 2012.
http://aporrea.org/desalambrar/n211446.html
14. “El proyecto de desarrollo y consolidación de la agricultura urbana”,
Fundación CIARA.
15. “Entrevista a Martha Bolivar”, Aporrea.
16. “Reporte Agricultura Urbana”, Jul. 2012, Fundación CIARA.
17. “Consumo de alimentos del venezolano aumentó 25% en los últimos
12 años”, AVN, May 19, 2012. http://www.avn.info.ve/contenido/consumo-alimentos-del-venezolano-aumentó-25-útimos-12-años
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Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela - 1099 30th Street, NW - Washington, D.C. 20007 - (202) 342-2214 - venezuela-us.org