Non-Traditional Agricultural Exports by SMEs Based In Venezuela: Food Sovereignty and the Problems of Building New Agriculture System

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

No words can express my appreciation and gratitude to my research advisor _______ through the course of this research, Professor _____has taught me numerous values that extend well beyond the realm of _________ (Your Subject Name). His emphasis on dedication to work and his valuable and practical insights of life are some of the major highlights of my education at The University _________.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for the academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

1.1 Introduction1

1.2 Problem statement3

1.3 Aims and objectives of the research4

1.4 Research questions4

1.5 Rationale of the study5

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW6

2.1 Food system problems6

2.1.1 The problem of health7

2.1.2 Technological advancements and environment8

2.2 The imperial relations of food and food sovereignty9

2.3 Changing nature of global agriculture: The need for innovation in the agricultural systems12

2.3.1 Changes in technological innovation12

2.3.2 Changes in agricultural production and processing14

2.4 The importance of agricultural exports in economy development15

2.5 Agricultural export diversification: A strategy to boost agriculture exports17

2.6 Development theory: Industrial expansion and agricultural modernization20

CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY23

3.1 Introduction23

3.2 Research design23

3.3 Secondary data in the research26

3.4 Research instrument: Questionnaire and interviews26

3.5 Population and sampling26

3.6 Sample Selection and Recruitment27

3.6.1 Sampling27

3.6.2 Research participants27

REFERENCES28

BIBLIOGRAPHY29

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

Venezuela is one of the most oil rich countries in the world; home to the planet's largest oil reserves and currently the world's fifth largest oil exporter (www.opec.org). Unfortunately, Venezuela's heavy endowment of such a globally valued natural resource is not translated into socioeconomic or political stability. Venezuela has historically been characterized by high levels of unemployment, poverty, and political corruption (Sachs and Warner 2011, 827). Throughout the history of oil development in Venezuela, the vast majority of oil revenues and benefits have been concentrated within a small elite segment of society, with most oil revenues and benefits leaving the country either through networks of elites or multinational oil companies (Sachs and Warner 2005, 120).

Agriculture is the most dominant sector in most of developing countries. It is the major contributor to gross domestic product (GDP) and the major source of employment in most of these countries. For example, agriculture in Brazilian has been diversified to a great extent, and Brazil has become very independent nation in terms of consumption of food. The total agricultural exports from Brazil accounts for about eight percent of the tota l GDP of Brazil, and has provided employment to nearly one-quarter of the total available labour force in the country (MacDonald and Simonm 2010). The agricultural sector is the major contributor to GDP in over 60 percent of the countries. Regional comparison shows that agriculture is a very dominant sector in the low income countries of Africa, Asia and South America.

Development economists have focused on the relationship between ...