Sowing sovereignty: the agri-food challenge in times of threat

Abstract

Agriculture today faces new and different challenges that transcend its strictly productive and supply function of food and raw materials to consumers and the agri-food industries, a role that seemed dominant until recently. While it is true that the problem of hunger remains at the center of the agenda, it is equally true that overcoming it requires not more production but equitable access to resources. From this perspective, we can assert that in the heart of rural Venezuela, where the land speaks with the voice of farmers, community members, and workers, a silent but decisive battle is being waged: the defense of our food sovereignty. In a context marked by external pressures, economic blockades, and geopolitical tensions, the national agricultural sector faces challenges that go beyond production: it is about guaranteeing the people's right to feed themselves with dignity, using their own hands and knowledge.