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More than just a Trout Farm
The Socialist Production Unit Fabricio Ojeda combines agriculture with tourism, community development, and education.The trout farm includes facilities for forums and workshops, a childrens park, a small pond where visitors can fish for trout, a museum, and restaurants with trout on the menu.
Following community and communal council initiatives, the trout farm was expropriated by the government in 2009 and the Ministry for Agriculture sent technical experts to work there, renovated and improved the park.
The previous owner charged tourists an entry fee to enter the park and very high prices to fish and eat the trout, and many of the trout were sick.
It is now run by trout cooperatives who work closely with the communal councils in the area as well as the schools and the agricultural ministry.
Trout farming is one of the most important economic activities in Merida (Tamara Pearson)
The Socialist Production Unit Fabricio Ojeda (Tamara Pearson).
There are only five trout farms in Venezuela, four of those in Merida (Tamara Pearson).
The entrance to the farm. (Tamara Pearson)
A pond where tourists can fish for trout. (Tamara Pearson)
The farm's facilities are available for the use of community, movement, and state organisations. Here participants receive a day long workshop on alternative education, complex thought, and youth violence. (Tamara Pearson)
The Socialist Production Unit Fabricio Ojeda's work scheme (Tamara Pearson).
Published on Sep 7th 2011 at 10.34am
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