Boston, MA – Confronted with a food distribution emergency, working people of Venezuela have opted to confront the emergency with action. A growing community-based movement has emerged with the goal to achieve food sovereignty. In that process many farmer organizations and urban agricultural collectives are growing organic products, using non GMO seeds. This effort has been supported by the enactment of public policies, such as the Seeds Law, a legal framework that promotes the use of traditional non GMO seeds, and the creation of the Department of Urban Agriculture.

At the initiative of former President Chavez, Venezuela has provided support to economically disadvantaged communities in the US through the years. Since 2005, Venezuelan-owned CITGO Petroleum Corporation has provided millions of gallons of heating oil to the homes of thousands of families (1.8 million people) to keep warm during the cold winter months, in 25 states, the District of Columbia and many Indigenous reservations and homeless shelters. CITGO has also supported environmental initiatives and coastal restoration efforts in the communities affected by hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, leading volunteers in restoring 81 acres of coastline and wetlands; planting more than 70,000 trees. CITGO has funded numerous social projects in the Bronx, New York, from worker-run and food cooperatives to environmental justice, youth cultural programs, ESL classes and women of color collectives.

Now it is our turn to help the Venezuelan people, in a people to people campaign to help them with their food autonomy efforts. The “Seeds of Solidarity for Venezuela” project’s main goal is to donate organic-certified non-GMO Heirloom seeds to participant farmer associations and urban agriculture collectives in Andres Eloy Blanco and Iribarren municipalities, in the State of Lara. As we pilot this project, we hope to expand our seed contributions to other areas of Venezuela, including urban gardening efforts in large cities.

To launch the project, the Venezuela Solidarity Committee has already sent its first shipment of seeds for the month of August, 2016.

For more information contact: Vensol2016ATgmailDOTcom

Learn more about urban community agriculture in Venezuela here: https://venezuelanalysis.com/images/7374