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Page added on August 6, 2016
Amid economic hard times, Venezuelans turn to city farming
Facing a national food crisis, Venezuela’s pumpkin-growing socialist president is exhorting compatriots to grow fruit and vegetables on balconies and roofs and in barracks across the country.
His government’s “Great Agro-Venezuela Mission” is promoting city farming to offset shortages which have led to lootings and riots as the OPEC country undergoes a major economic crisis.
“We need to plant to ensure food sovereignty,” President Nicolas Maduro said, recounting how he and his wife harvested pumpkins on their patio for a soup that tasted “like heaven.”
“He who learns to cultivate in his city, his school, his university, his factory, in his communal space … cultivates another form of faith in life,” he added, urging people to grow products in schools, military bases and even jails.
In the first data on the new push, Maduro’s government boasts that in the last three months, some 135,000 Venezuelans have produced 273 tonnes of vegetables, fruits and herbs in urban settings.
The production seems well short of this year’s goal of 3,500 tonnes, but some participants are enthusiastic.
“If all communities began to cultivate, it would help to combat the high cost of living and food shortages,” said 69-year-old Luisana Galvis, a retired administrator who helps produce 30 different types of vegetable on a state-owned plot in a west Caracas slum. Critics, though, say the project is laughably inadequate given the scale of Venezuela’s problems, and absurd in a vast and fertile nation that was once a major exporter of coffee.
“Forty thousand hectares of productive land in this country and Nicolas’ solution is urban agriculture!” scoffed two-time opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, who accuses the government of wrecking rural output with nationalizations.
“You listen to him and he’s a century behind!”
FERTILE WASTELAND
Even some who have long grown their own food are dubious of Maduro’s efforts to help solve Venezuela’s unprecedented crisis by emulating their city gardens.
“It’s illogical to have a grand plan for urban agriculture given how fertile the land is in Venezuela,” said Omar Sharam, owner of the upmarket Casa Bistro restaurant which cultivates many of its own ingredients on a city plot.
Oil gradually took over Venezuela’s economy since its discovery here a century ago and now makes up 94 percent of foreign income. That has led to the neglect of other sectors, including agriculture, and made Venezuela dependent on imports.
Vast swathes of arable land are underused.
Since Maduro was elected three years ago to succeed the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, his popular mentor, Venezuela’s economy has deteriorated rapidly with a deep recession and widespread shortages.
Mobs outside shops screaming, “We want food!” and hoping for limited bags of pasta and rice have become commonplace across the South American country of 30 million.
The government blames the crisis on an “economic war” led by opposition business leaders and the United States. Critics, however, point the finger at bad economic policy and over-reliance on oil.
With its new urban food push, Venezuela is attempting to follow in the footsteps of Cuba, its closest ally, which pioneered sustainable agriculture during the so-called “Special Period” in the 1990s after the collapse of its Cold War benefactor, the Soviet Union.
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization calls Havana the greenest city in Latin America.
Somewhat ironically, Venezuela’s socialist government is also in tandem with a wider trend among urbanites from New York to Tokyo who are setting up rooftop gardens as part of a global green movement to eat healthier, organic food.
Those on the ground in Venezuela doubt they will resolve all their country’s food problems, but at least want to contribute to a more nutritious diet.
“We’re not growing to fill our stomachs, but to eat better,” said Militza Perez, a bank worker who grows her own peppers, chard and other herbs on a roof garden.
21 Comments on "Amid economic hard times, Venezuelans turn to city farming"
Hello on Sat, 6th Aug 2016 8:38 pm
That’s bad news for doomers. Doomer prophecy of zombie hordes pouring out into the country ravaging farms seem not to come true.
People seem to prefer to start small gardens, even in city slums. Who would have thought?
makati1 on Sat, 6th Aug 2016 8:46 pm
Hello, did you do the numbers? A city of 500,000 needs a minimum of 50,000 acres of planting soil. That is bigger than the city itself. Those hordes WILL be pouring into the countryside.
Do not assume that what is in an article even comes close to the real world. Especially if it comes from US MSM propaganda.
As for helping in the mid-term. Again, a novice gardener will likely not have a crop useful crop the first or maybe even second year. They certainly will not grow more than enough for salads on balconies or in window boxes.
I have to laugh at the pic they attach to the article. An expensive enclosure not even a group of Venezuelans can afford. Not to mention that most “soil” in cities is not soil but clay, broken building materials, gravel, trash, chemicals, etc. Actual usable soil would have to be trucked in.
Plantagenet on Sat, 6th Aug 2016 8:52 pm
Mauro just ordered up a huge $100,000 birthday cake so he and his rich communist cronies could celebrate the dead Hugo Chavez’s birthday in style.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-07-30/let-them-eat-cake-venezuela-celebrates-chavez’-birthday-100000-cake-while-citizens-s
Why would anybody take Maduro seriously? The man is a nut job who claims that Chavez’s ghost comes to him in the shape of a little bird and tells him what to do.
Cheers!
Rick Bronson on Sat, 6th Aug 2016 8:53 pm
If oil provides 94% of their income, naturally their people would have become lazy. This is called Dutch Disease.
Now they will start developing all other sectors and learn to survive.
Their gas prices has come to nearly $2.2 / gallon. Gone were those days when it was a dime. Never depend fully on commodities.
Truth Had A Liberal Bias on Sat, 6th Aug 2016 10:54 pm
Why does anybody take zerohedge seriously. That’s the second most fucking retarded shit on the Internet; anything Davy writes is first place.
GregT on Sun, 7th Aug 2016 1:11 am
“Venezuelans have produced 273 tonnes of vegetables, fruits and herbs in urban settings.”
“The production seems well short of this year’s goal of 3,500 tonnes, but some participants are enthusiastic.”
Some participants are obviously living in a complete state of denial. They’ll figure it all out, soon enough.
Danny on Sun, 7th Aug 2016 1:28 am
Even if they reached their goal it would be 0.1 kg food per capita per year.
Shaved Monkey on Sun, 7th Aug 2016 1:29 am
makati1 on Sat, 6th Aug 2016 8:46 pm
“Hello, did you do the numbers? A city of 500,000 needs a minimum of 50,000 acres of planting soil. That is bigger than the city itself.”
Lets not confuse the productivity in a tropical climate with a temperate climate.
I can grow tomatoes in the sub tropics virtually all year ,my capsicums stay in the ground and produce for over 4 years so far.Try that when its not warm.
Shaved Monkey on Sun, 7th Aug 2016 1:32 am
Plantagenet on Sat, 6th Aug 2016 8:52 pm
“Why would anybody take Maduro seriously? The man is a nut job who claims that Chavez’s ghost comes to him in the shape of a little bird and tells him what to do. ”
Lets look into US foriegn policy and its belief in Gog and Magog
http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/gog-and-magog-or-dubyas-biblical-mind-map
makati1 on Sun, 7th Aug 2016 2:10 am
Shaved, I live in a tropical country, the Philippines. It still takes more land than an average city covers, even in the tropics. Again, do the math. Calories are required, not just balk, and veggies do not provide many calories per pound.
FOOD CALORIES PER LB:
Vegetables – 65 to 195
Fresh Fruits – 135 to 420
Nonfat dairy foods – 180 to 450
Potatoes, pastas, brown rice, sweet potatoes, corn – 280 to 650
peas and beans – 400 to 750
Seafood, lean poultry, lean red meat – 400 to 870
Calories required for an average adult who is active: 2,500 to 3,000 per day.
20 – 30 pounds of veggies is a lot try eating that much in a day. lol
Not that a garden doesn’t help, but…
Rita on Sun, 7th Aug 2016 4:42 am
We grow grapes in rooftops. Kiwi, cucumber can also be grown like grapes. Peri-urban agriculture can be practiced in larger areas.
Kenz300 on Sun, 7th Aug 2016 8:25 am
Too many people demand too many resources……yet the worlds population grows by 80 million every year…..
How many charities are dealing with the same problems they were dealing with 10 or 20 years ago with no end in sight.
Every problem is made worse by the worlds growing population. If you can not provide for yourself you can not provide for a child.
Birth Control Permanent Methods: Learn About Effectiveness
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/birth_control_permanent_methods/article_em.htm
Travel to the Real Philippines: Homeless Family w/ 3 Young Kids. Poverty among Filipinos is High
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgCVQqSK_Vw
Kenz300 on Sun, 7th Aug 2016 8:34 am
Too many people……….too few resources……..
Watch The Climate Change Ad Fox News Didn’t Want Its Viewers To See
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/climate-change-ad-fox-news_us_57892a37e4b03fc3ee50c207?section=
The Effects Of Growth: Sprawl & Development – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA33sraoyCk
Anonymous on Sun, 7th Aug 2016 1:02 pm
Rooters, and the unattributed author of this garbage couldn’t try and wring more contempt for the people of Venezuela out of his article if they tried. Leaving aside the issue of how viable this effort may be, the arrogance on display is amazing. Zero respect for those people or their plight, on top of which, rooters completely omits to mention is the result of uS economic warfare and sanctions, of course.
Mr. Mars on Sun, 7th Aug 2016 8:09 pm
The secret is the fertilizer and Maduro supplies tons of bull merde every time he makes a speech.
JuanP on Mon, 8th Aug 2016 5:54 am
Urban farming is a growing trend across the world. I live in a megalopolis with more than ten million people, the South East Florida metropolitan area, comprising three mostly urbanized counties. People are start food gardening all around me and not just for economic need since most of the people I know who are doing this are very rich. I believe that an increasing awarenes about food quality issues and food insecurity are part of the issue. Many people around me are trying to grow their own organic food to control its quality; several of them got into this because their children have cronic health issues, particularly allergies.
I grow food indoors using LED grow lights and combined 2,100 K and 6,500 K fluorescent lights. I also grow food on my balcony, at two local community gardens, at friends’ homes, and at a local organic Permaculture urban farming coop where I help manage five beehives and was recently provided with a 50′ space to grow my own stuff. I grow more veggies and fruits than I can eat, so I give most of it away to people in need and buy some at stores to further diversify my diet.
Every day as I walk, bike, and drive around the city I see wasted landscaped public and private spaces that could be used to grow food. There is a lot of potential to grow more food in urban areas. I also see great amounts of food waste and other compostables being sent to remote landfills at great cost. Many urban areas could provide most of their nutrition if not most of their calories and compliment rural production, radically increasing the efficiency of our food systems by significantly reducing food waste, and food distribution and transportation costs.
The government could facilitate the process, but if they don’t people will do this on their own. While food scarcities will remain an increasingly important part of our lives for the foreseeable future, there are great possibilities to adapt to them, too. The biggest obstacles are economic and political because there is no money for large multinational corporations in helping people grow their own organic food close to home. The trend is there, though, and this is a sector of the economy that is growing in importance and will provide income and benefits to many people.
ghung on Mon, 8th Aug 2016 7:53 am
Not so long ago:
Depression Relief Gardens: 1930-1938
“……There were three phases of gardening programs during the Great Depression. In the beginning the relief garden movement faced many problems. Organizers argued about the size and and make-up of gardens: Should the gardens have individual plots or larger undivided plots? Who should be involved? Where will the plots be? Many wondered if the depression would even last long enough for the relief gardens to be necessary. Those asking for assistance were no long the disable, sick, and elderly, but the unemployed and desperate, many with families. No longer was it the ‘weakness’ of the individual that caused the need for assistance, this time it was the failure of the ‘system’ (Warman 1999). During these early years ordinary citizens were incredibly helpful in supporting gardening programs. For example, in Detroit “city employees donated monthly contributions from their salaries to raise the ten thousand dollars necessary for financing a free garden program” (Tucker 1993: 132). ……
makati1 on Mon, 8th Aug 2016 9:15 am
Mr Mars, if the National Mall in DC could be planted in gardens, all of the bullshit inside the beltway would produce bumper crops forever. lol
sidzepp on Mon, 8th Aug 2016 9:35 pm
Little too late, perhaps, for this discussion
https://foodfirst.org/special-report-hunger-in-venezuela-a-look-beyond-the-spin/
Kenz300 on Thu, 11th Aug 2016 7:34 am
The worlds poorest people are having the most children. They have not figured out the connection between their poverty and family size. Endless population growth is not sustainable.
If you can not provide for yourself you can not provide for a child.
Birth Control Permanent Methods: Learn About Effectiveness
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/birth_control_permanent_methods/article_em.htm
The Effects Of Growth: Sprawl & Development – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA33sraoyCk
Cloggie on Thu, 11th Aug 2016 7:48 am
Kenz, you have said that at least a thousand times. We got the message by now.
The best birth control method is still to stick your d*** in a mole-heap. Please pass on that free advice to the third world rather than broadcasting this message ad nauseum to a bunch of mostly white 50-70 year olds.