www.vheadline.com Posted: Sunday, March 16, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

President Hugo Chavez Frias has opened a DIY vegetable garden project at the Fuerte Tiuna military barracks (where the Ayala battalion is housed) as an effort to get people to grow food in spaces that have been abandoned.

It's part of the President's “Pride in Venezuela” project, which was started off by giving small provincial sharecroppers animal stock and seed to help them grow subsistence crops in a home garden.

At the same time, in Caracas, the Municipal Services Corporation has initiated a novel vegetable patch program near the Hilton Hotel in Paseo Vargas.  Service chief Jose Rodriguez says the idea is to plant and sow lettuce, paprika, coriander and Swiss chard ... the San Agustin cooperative is in overall charge of the project, which hopes to produce quick-cycle vegetables on 4,500 sq. meters of earth in 30-45 days ... an underground water cistern has been built for irrigation purposes by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as a first stage “creating social use for idle spaces.”

The idea of family or cooperative vegetable gardens is not new in Venezuela ... in the 80s a Roman Catholic priest started a gardening project among peasant families in Lara State farming district that was a huge success.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Friday, February 28, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

The Armed Force (FAN)  has staged a military parade in Los Proceres (Caracas) to mark the four anniversary of President Hugo Chavez Frias’ pet project, Bolivar 2000.

Small Italian tractors led the parade, dump trucks, railroad installing machines, road-making machines, while Army Engineer Corps and Navy (Armada) Engineer Brigade vehicles completed the march past.

The Military High Command and Cabinet Ministers joined the President on the podium and news agencies reported the presence of 300 civilians came at the parade.

• Chavez Frias recalled the reason for founding Bolivar 2000 to counter a social emergency and to get the Armed Force actively involved in national development.

“It’s the most important humanitarian operation in Venezuela’s history and villages that have benefited should speak out about the Plan.”

The plan, the President told assembled soldiers, is the fruit of February 27, 1898 (27F) known as the “Caracazo” when he says the Armed Force (FAN) was used to repress the people.

Referring to the remark his detractors have harping upon since April 11, Chavez Frias repeated Simon Bolivar's famous quotation, “Damn the soldier who fires on his own people!”

"The FAN was cursed on that day … it was Bolivar’s curse.”

The opposition and rebel soldiers, the President insists, have used the phrase to defend their bastard anti-Republican interests.

Defense Minister Jose Luis Prieto says 6 million people have benefited from Bolivar 2000 health program and the next projects will be to asphalt Avenida Baralt in Caracas and open a tourist complex in Puerto Cruz.