Essay Example on Venezuela: A Struggling Nation of Poverty and Culture Shock

Venezuela is a country in South America that is currently suffering from culture shock and extreme poverty due to a dictatorial regime that has governed the country for 20 years. Sustainability of Venezuela when it comes to food for the core citizens of the country is highly complicated due to the type of government in the state that the rules the nation. The population of Venezuela throughout decades has been a communist victim, due to only the top percent being able to sustain a healthy life. Many factors have meant that there is no sustainability in the country, which means that the population cannot obtain something as fundamental to life as food. The lack of sustainability in Venezuela from part of the communist and dictatorial government has caused poor people and even the middle class to find it challenging to have enough income or possibilities to buy food and for that to have an adequate diet. Sustainability is not just concerned with food itself but rather a lot of components including production and distribution. Sustainability of food is essential as it helps to improve the economic, social and wellbeing of the society and specifically in focus to the adverse effects of Venezuela's vulnerability to food insecurity.

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Sustainability involves the economy, society, and environment. In the article "sustainability" by Christian R. Weisser explains that "sustainability is the capacity to endure or continue. If a thing or an activity is sustainable, it can be reused, recycles, or repeated in some way because it has not exhausted all of the resources or energy required to create it" (Weisser 602). In this article he also explains how it affects us as people and as a society, he explains that for there to be sustainability there must be a good economy, social, and environment, what all this is affected in Venezuela by the political situation that is happening. Due to the lack of food provided by the government, most people aside from the top 1% of the country suffer from immunization to a lot of diseases (Business Wire). Venezuela is going through a food crisis with people from the lower and middle class dying prematurely due to a lack of a great round of nutrition. Due to the lack of management from the government, there has been an increase in the inflation of the country. However, the government of Venezuela, therefore, has plans to invest in sustainable agriculture to increase economic and social life at the same time improving environmental sustainability.

Resource allocation and prioritization by the government dramatically helps reduce the impacts of climate change and resource conflict that reduces the sustainability of food. According to a global report on food crises, Venezuela could face acute food insecurity according to the report by Early Warning Early Action and (EWEA)therefore action is required to be taken by the government to improve on agriculture (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations). According to FAO focus on managing climate change could help address the issue of agricultural production and climatic change. Agricultural high output leads to increased economic and social sustainability. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations report advices that conflict in a country could not only lead to the two factors of food insecurity and malnutrition but these factors could be high multipliers of conflict in the future (p.5). However, in Venezuela, the government engages in little effort after warning made by EWEA. The food insecurity in Venezuela has been fueled by the lack of political stability in the country. Additionally, food insecurity in this country. According to Peru's representative is caused by despotic and anti-democratic policies developed in the Maduro Regime and the successive situations of violence (United Nations). The country's political atmosphere makes it impossible from the nation to develop policy frameworks and plans of investment that are aligned to food production.

The government also manipulates sustainability by providing allocating natural resources and shadily encouraging environmental advocacy which has not been supported to bring real change. The government has given away many of the natural resources from the country, and the citizens have not seemed to get any benefits. Also, the government of Venezuela is violating environmentalism, which "Advocates for the protection and restoration of nature and grassroots" (Weisser 605). Besides, the Venezuelan government sold mineral resources to China in 2014, which is the complete opposite of taking care of the resources of the country. Selling of these minerals is a threat to economic sustainability which in turn directly affects food sustainability. Furthermore, contamination is also one key component for the lack of management from the government, due to the lack of public service. Garbage trucks are necessarily nonexistence, and this helps to promote diseases in all corners of the country, including upper class (Weisser 605). If the government would support environmental sustainability, then there would be food security backup.

The hoax claims by the unstable government of support of environmental activism and equal provision of food are extremely dangerous as it shadows the country's efforts to achieving food sustainability. Some examples of places going through similar situations as Venezuela are such as Africa, and the Asian continent. The governments in the majority of the countries in Asia do not know how to maintain a balance in society, the environment, and the economy, which helps to promote a lack of sustainability and economic crisis. Africa, for example, is going through a food crisis due to the lack of food potential that they have, causing a significant portion of most countries to have a lack of food. An example of the lack of nutrition in Africa is the fact from the UNICEF report shows that around 40% of children are going through malnutrition caused by lack of food and poor sanitation (FAO 56). The Asian continent is also guilty of imbalance trade with other countries, causing poverty in middle and lower class. There exist two significant ways of helping countries with a lack of sustainability. Roberth Paarleberg explains in his book "attention whole food shoppers" that the governments in rich countries have two options, which is to help a country with their own sustainability when it comes to their economic system and educate them. Or, help them with aid and food (610). He also explains that giving free things to these people causes a conformist mentality and people get used to not working and that everything is easy. The governments in the majority of the countries in Asia do not know how to maintain a balance in society, the environment, and the economy, which stimulates the lack of sustainability and economic crisis

Misuse of resources by the government has led to inflation and economic constraint in Venezuela. An example of article that speaks directly about the situation in Venezuela is "The Venezuela Food & Drink Report" by Business Wire, which talks about how inflation in Venezuela has affected the prices of food and beverages in the country making it more difficult for people who earn a minimum wage to cover the costs of the basic basket. High inflation that results from the government mismanaging resources is directly related to the lack of sustainability that exists in Venezuela. The misuse of a country's resources has destroyed the economic, social and environmental balance that a state must have. People in Venezuela suffer every day because of inflation, the few medical supplies, rationing of food, electricity, and water (Business Wire). The Venezuelan government has turned a world power into one of the poorest countries in the world, with private and international debts through the misuse of resources.

The communist political system is one that promotes help to the people who need it the most, and also fosters equality between social classes. However, on the contrary, individuals who come from a foreign country manage to view the difference between a communist state and a country run by democracy and are convinced that it is not exactly how it is portrayed to them. The view includes a small portion of top officials getting more affluent and the middle and lower class staying the same or becoming poorer. Communist countries want to give the perception that they have good sustainability before the masses and the international countries. However, there are still people within the same communist country that realized the lack of sustainability in terms of food in comparison with other countries. People who support the government receive food and other goods monthly from the government, which is used as an illusion of sustainability. On the other hand, the reality of the situation is that the government is dividing the country by helping only the people who support their movement- posing a danger to the future of the country's food security. Moreover, Presidents of the communist countries go public and give speeches about how good their political system is and how people and their land is growing and becoming more prosperous. Most individuals from these communist countries claim to support sustainability concerning food security; however, the truth is that they are stealing from the state and impoverish the resources. They lack knowledge on how to maintain good sustainability with the resources of the country and therefore want to convince the people otherwise.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Venezuela is a country who suffers from food security resulting from poor sustainability caused by bad management and weak resource government. The importance of addressing sustainability issues is that people are exposed to suffering and death due to a lack of proper management of resources by the government. The lack of sustainability is making it difficult for people to get them enough food or resources of production. The discoveries I made from this topic did not change my view of the lack of sustainability in Venezuela. Venezuela is not the only communist country, and I discovered that all of the governments that don't know how to maintain sustainability make their population suffer. Is very important that people know what's is going on other countries in terms of food security and that not all governments are beneficial for the people, is essential to appreciate efforts but also remember that sustainability includes more than the eyes can see. The study helps individuals who come from such communist countries to relate to the situation that is taking place. Also, people who come from countries with democracy can see how much people suffer in countries with a communist government that lack sustainability.

Works cited

Business Wire. "Research and Markets: Oil Refining Industry in Venezuela Market Report" New York. 26 July 2013.

Christian R. Weisser "sustainability". Lunsford, Andrea A., and John J. Ruszkiewicz. 2004. Everything's an argument. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. 602-608. Print.

FAO. "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World." Home | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2018, www.fao.org/3/i9553en/i9553en.pdf.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. "Global Report on Food Crises 2018 : FAO in Emergencies." Home | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2018, www.fao.org/emergencies/resources/documents/resources-detail/en/c/1107313/.

Roberth Paarlberg "Attention whole foods shoppers". Lunsford, Andrea A., and John J. Ruszkiewicz. 2004. Everything's an argument. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. 610-618 print

United Nations. "With Venezuela Buckling Under Severe Shortages, Security Council Emergency Session Calls for Poli...