Sistemas alimentarios urbanos y su gobernanza, ¿una alternativa viable para Venezuela en el marco de los sistemas agroalimentarios sostenibles?

In recent decades, there has been growing concern in the literature about the challenge of feeding sustainably, a continuously growing population. There is also a growing consensus that agri-food systems, in addition to ensuring food security, should adopt more efficient and sustainable production methods, be more sustainable and inclusive, and adapt to climate change. This is even more important for cities, which concentrate the largest proportion of the population and consume more than 2/3 of the total water and energy. In this scenario, based on secondary sources, an exploratory and review study was developed. It aimed to study an alternative that has recently emerged at the international level: urban food systems and their governance, based on a review of some theoretical elements and trends. Based on this review, the paper discussed its viability in the Venezuelan case, by examining some recent Venezuelan experiences and considering both the available resources and the major barriers to its materialization at the national level. It also discussed how they could contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular, as spaces capable of providing healthy food, sustainably and that allow improving the livelihoods of the population. Among the primary resources available, the country's education and training infrastructure in the area was identified, together with a renewed legal and institutional framework that is – on paper – openly pro-environmentalist and citizen-oriented. Among the limitations were: i) increasing deforestation and burning of plant species; ii) deterioration of the drinking water service and its use in urban agriculture; iii) migration of the population, particularly those with higher academic and professional training; iv) deterioration of the National Science, Technology, and Innovation System and decline of public financing through the LOCTI; v) opacity and untimeliness of official information; and vi) scarcity of financing for installation and adaptation of new or existing developments. Another aspect addressed was the difficulties in implementing an adequate governance model, due in part to the growing centralization of government decisions, loss of authority of local governments, and limited dialogue and negotiation between the different levels of government, the private sector, and the communities.