More Is Never Enough This was 00 . In the succeeding years, the downward spiral Daniel
foresaw accelerated and worsened. At the center of protests and riots was
the lack of food. For people of ordinary means, buying staples like rice,
beans, and cooking oil meant queuing at state-run supermarkets before
dawn, in the hope the shelves would not be empty when they reached
the front of the line hours later. Food shortages became so chronic that
the government handed over control of the food supply to the military;
the country’s food ministry, in fact, was headed by an army general.
To boost food supplies, the government encouraged people to grow
gardens and raise chickens, even though more than four of every five
Venezuelans live in cities. Many had no experience growing food. Those
who did lacked suitable soil, seeds, or access to feed for raising poultry.
Today, as the shortages persist, more people are scavenging through
garbage thrown out by society’s privileged. For those with money, a
black market offering food is thriving. Food trafficking, controlling who
can bring in food, seeds, or feed from outside the country, or what local
merchants receive from outside suppliers, is big business, and is now
dominated by the military. As one retired general put it, “The military
is in charge of food management now, and they’re not going to just take
that on without getting their cut.”
Food shortages opened new ways to profit from scarcity and help
the government retain power. To fight back, the people routinely call
for nationwide stoppages, further damaging the economy. Early one
morning under the cover of darkness, protestors risked being arrested
while setting up barricades. When asked why they had resorted to such
risky and drastic measures, one answered, “We want liberty. We want
democracy. We want everyone to have access to food.”
As Venezuela’s food crisis deepens, more and more lives are shat-
tered and the recovery becomes progressively more painful. Meanwhile,
inept government officials, a corrupt military, and merchants exploit
hunger and malnutrition to reap windfall profits. A monthly handout of
heavily subsidized basic food staples for the poorest Venezuelans helps
keep the existing government in power.^ With quadruple-digit inflation,
Venezuela’s economy resembles an out-of-control forest fire that leaves
behind a burnt landscape in shambles.
Desperate to extinguish the flames, Venezuelan experts blame the
failure of markets—as if restoring markets can somehow turn back the