Venezuela Transfers Vast Lands to Brazilian Farmers While Strengthening Regional Ties

President Nicolás Maduro signed a decree this week allocating 180,000 hectares in Venezuela’s Bolívar state to Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement (MST) while simultaneously approving a new Regional Agricultural Cooperation Framework Law.

These complementary initiatives aim to revolutionize food production and regional integration across Latin America. The MST land grant forms part of the “Patria Grande del Sur” project designed to boost agroecological production.

“We aim to produce organic food for our people, northern Brazil, and export markets,” Maduro declared during the signing ceremony. The project will cultivate beans, corn, cassava, plantains, and various other crops while raising livestock under sustainable practices.

Roxana Fernández, speaking for the MST, pledged to transform this initiative into “a model of production, agroecology, and technical training.” The MST brings substantial experience, having secured land for approximately 350,000 Brazilian families and established 2,000 schools teaching agroecological principles.

Venezuela’s Communes Minister Ángel Prado emphasized the significance of the transfer. “These lands now belong to the peasant people of Venezuela and South America, not large consortiums,” he stated.

The newly approved Agricultural Cooperation Law strengthens the existing alliance between ALBA-TCP and Petrocaribe member countries. The legislation prioritizes technical cooperation, trade diversification, and sustainable development across the ten-nation Bolivarian Alliance.

New Agricultural Law and Regional Cooperation

“This legal framework initiates the first ALBA Agricultural project approved at December’s summit,” Maduro explained. The law builds upon previous regional initiatives dating back to 2008’s “Alba Alimentos” program launched during a global food crisis.

The twin initiatives address urgent food security challenges affecting the region. Venezuela has suffered severe economic difficulties impacting domestic food production, while food insecurity rose by 4% in Brazil during the pandemic.

Minister Juan Carlos Loyo described the MST project as “a sustainable ecological initiative in popular hands,” highlighting its potential as a seed bank and diversified production model.

These agricultural partnerships demonstrate Venezuela’s strategy to strengthen food sovereignty through regional cooperation rather than competition. “We continue building agrarian socialism and food sovereignty,” Maduro concluded, framing these initiatives as belonging to “those who want equality and to be masters of our destiny.”

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