ABSTRACT

This chapter gives a general view of the dominant climatological conditions of Venezuela from an agricultural standpoint. From an agricultural point of view, the thermic and hydric regimes are the determining factors in the characterization and location of the Venezuelan climates. In the Venezuelan tropical zone, however, air temperature shows little variability throughout the year. Venezuela is undoubtedly capable of improving its agricultural production, be it through the adoption of better techniques, the search for production systems more appropriate to the great variety of existing ecosystems, or simply through expansion of its agricultural frontiers. Although the agricultural frontier could be increased from the present 2.4 million hectares to as many as 4 million, the cost of bringing these new lands into production is already high and will be increasingly so in the future. The principal agricultural areas of the country are located in the dry sub-humid climatic region, which is characterized by well-defined dry and rainy seasons.