00:00 And after Venezuelan oil prices fell, a group of friends left noisy and crowded Caracas,
00:23 four bare plainlands in Iaraquí, to raise cattle, under the premise that Venezuela has
00:28 a future. Since that moment, they turned an abandoned land into green crop fields and
00:34 became self-reliant while helping others.
00:41 In this new episode of the series "Venezuela on the Move", Adriana Sibori and Jesús Romero
00:46 tell us their story. Let's see.
00:51 It's always hot in Venezuela, and these cattle are especially adapted to hot climates. Some
00:57 are pure breed, known as gier, and others are crossbreeds of two types of cattle, called
01:02 girolando.
01:06 Carlos came to this multifunctional farm years ago. He used to live between buildings and
01:11 the heavy traffic of the capital city.
01:13 I didn't know what agriculture was. I was in the suburbs doing masonry work and other
01:18 things. I met some friends and they invited me to rescue this land. We started planting
01:23 corn, sweet potatoes, and then little by little we learned about cattle raising, because we
01:28 didn't know anything about that. First we had a cow, then two, and so on.
01:35 Currently there are 120 animals, 25 of which are exclusively for milking. From them, they
01:41 obtain a very good quantity of milk. This type of work makes them love their land unconditionally.
01:48 I have met friends who have traveled to Colombia, Peru, Chile, and I have family outside of
01:54 Venezuela. But I do not change my Venezuela for any other country. Venezuela is Venezuela,
02:01 and Venezuela has a future.
02:04 If it's about the future, Frank finds it here. To manage production, they hire more staff
02:10 according to every season's requirements.
02:15 Every worker has a salary every day. Being unemployed now is a terrible sin.
02:22 This cooperative has been created and run by its members who, with the help of their
02:27 families, have managed to grow crops, including feed for the cattle, while tractors continue
02:33 at full speed.
02:36 When we came in here, it was bare. And you are already seeing more or less what we had
02:44 done in 16 years.
02:48 Whatever is left, we use it for investment.
02:52 The investments are for a genetic improvement project for small and medium-sized producers.
02:58 Almost two decades ago, this project started with state financing.
03:02 We are the same, with oil prices at 100 and with oil prices at zero. At zero, meaning
03:09 no foreign currencies. Today, in 2023, in spite of the crisis, the blockade, in spite
03:15 of so many circumstances that have been affecting us here in the country, we are already 100
03:21 percent self-sufficient.
03:23 Very proud of the work. They tell us that everything produced here contributes to national
03:28 food security and is also for self-consumption.
03:32 The fields where Las Tres Heras Cooperative is located are part of one of the Venezuelan
03:37 states that was founded by Ezequiel Zamora in 1859.
03:43 An independentist that vindicated countrymen's rights.
