Agroecology as the Basis of Food Sovereignty in Venezuela:
Farming WITH Nature, Not AGAINST It

By Christina Schiavoni, Co-Director Global Movements Program

As CSD delegates engage in lively discussion on priorities for sustainable agriculture and rural development, there are lessons to be learned from Venezuela’s small-scale farmers, who are advancing innovative practices in agroecology as the basis for a broader national agenda of food sovereignty. Not only are Venezuelans working to increase domestic food production; they are looking at how food is being produced. Miguel Angel Nuñez of the Institute for the Production and Research of Tropical Agriculture (IPIAT), a civil society representative of Venezuela currently participating in CSD, describes an agroecological approach to food production as critical to achieving true food sovereignty. Agroecology essentially means farming with nature rather than against it - building up soil as the basis for productivity; working in sync with the cycles of nature; using natural inputs; etc.

Nuñez makes a number of arguments as to why this approach is so important for Venezuela. First, it provides a viable alternative to the industrial model of agriculture imposed by the Green Revolution, which was designed as a one-size-fits-all formula that never considered the unique conditions of the tropics. When applied in tropical conditions, the industrial model degrades the soil; creates extra waste while requiring extra cost; and fails to reach the same levels of productivity as more appropriate, locally-adapted systems. Additionally, the industrial model, by its very definition, requires expensive external inputs, such as specially bred seeds, often genetically modified, and synthetic fertilizer and pesticides. Such dependence, Nuñez argues, is in direct conflict with the concept of food sovereignty.

An agroecological approach to food sovereignty requires looking not outside, but within communities, for traditional crop varieties and growing techniques adapted to local microclimates and local cultures. This approach corresponds with the concept of desarrollo endógeno, or "development from within," promoted as a core component of Venezuela's political process. Adopting this approach means seeking out and valuing the wisdom of typically marginalized populations, such as women, indigenous people, and afro-descendents.

As Nuñez explains, while there are still differing ideas on what path Venezuela's agricultural sector should take, the government has consistently showed a willingness to learn from social movements. It is this very type of dialogue that led Venezuela to declare a national moratorium on genetically modified crops, followed up by national efforts to preserve and multiply traditional seed varieties. Additional forms of institutional support for agroecology include new biocontrol and biofertilizer laboratories, as well as a system of credit for farmers to implement agroecology projects – the first of its kind in Latin America, according to Nuñez.

For additional articles on agroecology in Venezuela, visit www.inmotionmagazine.com

This article originally appeared on May 12, 2008 in Outreach Issues, the daily civil society newsletter at the CSD produced by the SDIN Group and Stakeholder Forum. Outreach Issues aims to report with an attitude, from the global scene of sustainability.