In Trujillo, they produce for the community

Trujillo’s achievement of agricultural development and food sovereignty requires the ingenuity and hardworking hands of rural men and women who toil the land before dawn every day.

Such is the case of the Labrador Res de la Tierra Farmers Committee, located in the Jeromito district of La Beatriz parish in the municipality of Valera, Trujillo, and composed of 32 producers from 35 families in the town.

The families grow maize, beans, okumoh, tomatoes, coriander, cucumbers, zucchini, cassava and coffee on 40 hectares of productive land for community consumption and sale at the Walela market and elsewhere.

Douglas González, a producer from Jeromito, said that through the farmers’ organization, the sector aims to be self-sufficient in food, adding that recently they harvested 36 tons of very good beans, which were planted in January and are the highest yields among the farmers’ committees.

“Fifteen years ago, this region was born and saved by the national government under Commandant Hugo Chavez. We organized peasant committees. We have 32 producers working the land and we grow crops such as beans, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, ocumole, cilantro, coffee, but the strongest are beans. At the end of April we started harvesting high-quality beans,” he said.

He added that this group of producers prepares the land and plants corn at the beginning of the rainy season, which will yield higher yields. “Our lands are rich and fertile, suitable for planting and producing vegetables. According to studies by the Ministry of Agriculture and Land People’s Power, these soils are Class I and Class II soils,” he said.

With support from the mayor of Valera’s office, they planted about 3,000 coffee trees, including 27 varieties native to Colombia, marking the first time the project’s planting has been tested in the region.
“We have livestock. We get cheese and milk for community consumption.

We have 15 cows and some animals at the disposal of the team. As for vegetables, we produce about 60 to 70 tons per year. Fresh corn contains 80 to 100 tons of jojoto, which is perfect for our consumption and also for sale at the markets in the sovereign villages,” says González.

He reported that the Farmers Committee has a future project for broiler farming.

Sustainable Agriculture

The Labradores de la Tierra Farmers’ Committees carry out production activities for their own consumption and as an alternative to guaranteeing food security for the population living in the urban plan.

When asked how they get their seeds, Gonzalez explained that they get them from their own production and keep them in their greenhouse.

“For example, we plant beans in January and September and select the best beans from the harvest so that they can serve as seeds for the next crop.”

The irrigation water is taken from the El Cucharito area on the Momboy River. He commented that through community organizing, they have managed to create a gravity irrigation system. As for inputs, they get them from agricultural houses, “which is the investment we made,” he said.

These producers see the countryside as the source of their work. “We do this with effort and love because agriculture and planting are our family’s livelihood. Here we have our own food and it’s healthier,” he points out.

However, they are asking the Bolivarian government to provide credit or financing support to obtain the inputs and improve the agricultural roads and irrigation systems they need.

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With support from Mayor Valera’s office, Colombia is planting 3,000 coffee trees of 27 varieties as a test.

They own 15 cows and produce cheese and milk for the community.

They produce 60 to 70 tons of vegetables each year and also receive 80 to 100 tons of fresh corn.