News: Land Reform

Social Movements Demand ¨Maximum Sentence¨ for Indigenous Leader´s Murderer as Trial Continues

Jan 21st 2015

(Rachael Boothroyd - Venezuelanalysis)

Movements gathered in Caracas on Monday to demand a 30 year sentence for Sabino Romero´s murderer. They also denounced a lack of media coverage of the case, as well as the increasing presence of Colombian paramilitaries and drugs traffickers on Yukpa territory.

Maduro Defends Venezuelan Commune’s Land Rights in Face of Supreme Court Mandate

Dec 16th 2014

A young boy holds up corn in the fields of El Maizal communes. Five hundred hectares of corn are harvested collectively, while 5

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro announced on Friday his staunch support of the agricultural commune El Maizal after their communal property title was revoked by a Supreme Court judge earlier that week.

Land Rights Activist Arrested in Venezuela, Protestors Claim Oligarchical Influence in Judicial System

Dec 9th 2014

Protestors call for David Diaz's release. (Comunidad Socialista Guerrera Ana Soto)

Venezuelan communards and activists marched yesterday to demand the release of David Diaz, a leading member of an urban community project in Barqisimeto, Lara state. Diaz was arrested on 3 December and ultimately charged with “invading” private property, an accusation that his comrades feels is suspect.

Action Demanded over 178 Peasant Killings in Venezuela’s Land Struggle

Nov 20th 2014

In a press conference held in Caracas on Wednesday by the Association of Relatives of Assassination Victims (Asofavisi) and the

Rural groups are demanding that justice be done in the cases of 178 peasant assassinations in the struggle over land ownership in Venezuela, and that humanitarian assistance be extended to victims’ families.

Honoring Indigenous Resistance Day in Venezuela, the Struggle Continues

Oct 14th 2014

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro marked the day of indigenous resistance by handing over more titles to collective ownership

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro marked the day of indigenous resistance by handing over more titles to collective ownership of indigenous lands on Sunday. But the struggle for recognition, fertile land, and against illegal mining continues for Venezuela's indigenous communities.

Hundreds of Rural Families in Venezuela Retake Idle Land for Agricultural Production

Sep 29th 2014

Roland Dennis and Fresia Ipinza announce the takeover of lands by the “Land and Liberty” commune in the state of Guárico (A

On Saturday, hundreds of rural workers and their families took over land in the state of Guarico, calling on the National Land Institute (INTI) to support their takeover. Supporters of the recent takeover emphasize the urgency to expedite land expropriations considering the shortages and economic war that Venezuela currently confronts.

Venezuelan Farmers on Disputed Land Say They Have No Intention of Vacating

Jul 3rd 2014

José Tapia Coirán points to an example of the ubiquitous farming equipment on Hato Santa Rita land, accused of being “unprod

On May 2nd, the Venezuelan Supreme Court motioned to uphold the November 2003 ruling in favor of landowner Rogelio Peña Aly, economist and former mayor of Barinas state, who claims his land has been illegally occupied since February of 2003. The peasant communities currently inhabiting the vast “Hato Santa Rita” estate believe they are within their rights under the Land Law, a position which late president Hugo Chavez publicly supported.

Venezuelan Peasants Protest Supreme Court Decision to Return Lands to Agribusiness

May 29th 2014

Jose Tapia Coiran: “Our production is for the people, for the state, for the institutions. These lands were rescued.” (Aporr

On Monday, hundreds of peasant workers, or campesinos, gathered in a central plaza of the Venezuelan capital Caracas to protest a Supreme Court decision. The ruling upheld agribusiness and large landowners’ claims to ownership of land that has been cultivated by peasant collectives for over 12 years.

Commune Activists Denounce Murders in Mountains of Western Venezuela

Jan 20th 2014

Yusmery Escobar, one of many activists demanding since last year that the government combat the assassination of rural activists

Communes and social movements have demanded that the government combat the assassination of rural activists in the mountains of western Venezuela, which they say is undermining communal organising in the region.

Venezuelan Government to Continue Pace of Land Expropriations for “Agrarian Socialism”

Jan 13th 2014

The latest land occupation facilitated by the National Land Institute (INTI) is underway in the south-western state of Apure. (V

This year the Venezuelan government plans to continue its pace of land expropriations in order to move towards what it terms “agrarian socialism”.

Two Rural Activists Murdered in Venezuela

Dec 2nd 2013

Following the two murdered activists’ funeral yesterday, the rural organisation, to which Freddy Saya and Gerson Rojas belonge

Two rural activists were murdered in Venezuela last Friday, which a national rural workers’ organisation is attributing to the activists’ role in combating contraband and price speculation.

Venezuela Receives 320 Technicians from the FAO; Maduro Sets Sights on 80,000 Urban Agriculture Projects

Oct 17th 2013

Urban agriculture in Merida (Tamara Pearson/Venezuelanalysis)

Three hundred and twenty Venezuelan technicians trained with support from the United Nations World Food and Agriculture Organisation are being put to work to improve domestic agricultural productivity, President Nicolas Maduro announced yesterday.

Rural Deaths in Venezuela Politically Motivated, Linked to Paramilitaries, Rights Group Says

Oct 3rd 2013

Venezuela's land disputes have claimed over 300 lives, according to unofficial figures from community groups (Archive)

The alleged murder of a rural worker in Lara state is the latest in a series of killings allegedly linked to paramilitaries in the far north of the Andes, according to a local human rights group.

Venezuela Recognized for Exceptional Progress toward Reducing Malnutrition

Jun 16th 2013

“These countries are leading the way to a better future,” said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, shown here pres

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recognized Venezuela as one of 18 countries that had achieved exceptional progress toward reducing the prevalence of malnutrition at its headquarters in Rome earlier today.

Venezuelan Government Moves Forward with Seeds Law, Movements Demand Anti-GMO Measures

Jun 2nd 2013

A banner at last week's Caracas anti-Monsanto protest (Aporrea tvi)

The Venezuelan government will continue its efforts to increase national food production and combat the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) through a new Law on Seeds, president of the Agri-Food Development Subcommittee for the National Assembly Alfredo Ureña announced on Friday.