south america

Managing the Soy Boom? A nice try or dangerous greenwashing?

In June 2004 the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) released a report about the soy production called: 'Managing the Soy Boom: Two scenarios of soy production expansion in South America. The reports' main conclusion is that the expanding soybean cultivation is threatening to destroy nearly 22 million hectares of forests and savanna in South America by 2020. The report warns that the demand for soy is expected to increase by 60% in the next 20 years, which could lead to the loss of approximately 16 million hectares of savannas and 6 million hectares of tropical forests in the region. Soy exports from South America are boosted by a high demand in the European Union and China, where the crop is mainly used to feed pigs, chickens and cattle.
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Roundup Ready military in Paraguay

GM Watch has recently published on the US military establishing bases and new collaborations with the Paraguayan military, under the excuse of fighting terrorism. Many are asking why. Lees meer...  

Soy expansion triggers more violence in Paraguay

From Asuncion - Paraguay- An Maeyens, A SEED Europe, 20th of August, 2006

In Paraguay, the expansion of monocultures like soy leads to an agricultural model in which peasants have no stand. The soy production model is an export-orientated agro-industrial model that generates wealth for a few and poverty for many. Almost half of the population in Paraguay consists of farmers, peasants and indigenous, while land concentration in terms of the percentage of land that is in the hands of large landholders, is one of the highest of the world. The lack of access to land causes poverty, malnutrition, social marginalisation, rural unemployment and the migration of hundreds of families. For this reason, land reform is one of the most important challenges that the country faces. Since July 2006 the MCNOC (National coordination platform of peasant organizations) reintensified their campaign for integral land reform. In response, communities have been violently repressed by militaries and police forces. Thousands of families are currently living under threat.

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Soy Stickers

We want to make our message about the problems related to soy and over-consumption of meat visible on the street and in supermarkets. A SEED has made some stickers you can stick on useful and strategic spots.

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Declaration: The Development Model for Soy in Paraguay: Irresponsible, Unsustainable

The Development Model for Soy in Paraguay- Irresponsible, Unsustainable and Anti-Democratic. 

The role of large scale soy production in the destruction of land, water, communities and ecosystems in Paraguay.

Indigenous Peoples’ and peasant Farmers' organisations, community associations and other civil society groups in Paraguay who are signatories to this Declaration categorically reject the raw material export development model which has been condemned worldwide because of the environmental devastation it causes.
In particular, we reject large scale soy production which uses massive amounts of agro-chemicals, pesticides and genetically modified organisms, plunders our natural and cultural heritage, excludes and evicts communities from their land, concentrates power and decision-making about our national economy into the hands of a few, and thus undermines the sovereignty of our nation and its peoples and communities. Lees meer...  

Say no to impunity for the killers of Silvino Talavera

In addition to this call you can find a german translation, an article about the Petrona and her family, more background information about Paraguay and a call for financial support for this family and their campaign for justice and against the soy plantations.

Dear compañeras/os and organizations,

The court case that deals with the events surrounding the death of 11 year old Silvino Talavera, which was caused by agrochemical poisoning in Itapúa, Paraguay, on 7th January 2003, is in danger of being dropped next month, and the crime going unpunished by the law. The case has been static in court in an ongoing appeal process for over a year.
We ask for solidarity from individuals and organizations to pressure the Paraguayan State and Justice system to obtain a resolution of this process.
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Soy and human rights violations Paraguay

Grupo de Reflexión Rural from Argentina presents a new report providing detailed accounts of the current violent acts against rural and indigenous communities in Paraguay, which are strongly related to the expansion of (GM) soy production. Witnesses of the cases exposed in the report will be present at the coming United Nations conferences on Biosafety (MOP3) and Biodiversity (COP8).

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Peasant family in Paraguay condemned by agrotoxins

The tragedy faced by Petrona Villasboa's peasant family doesn't seem to come to an end. The family has been affected by agrotoxic contamination for more than 3 years. This time Petrona's 3 month-old grandchild i s suffering from hidrocefalia. Even after 3 years of judicial battle the family is still waiting for the conviction of those responsible f or the poisoning of Petrona´s son.

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"Stop the soy violence in Paraguay, solidarity amongst farmers!"

On Tuesday the 11th of May 2006 activists, amongst who the Paraguayan peasant Jorge Galeano, have protested in front of the office of the Zuidelijke Land en Tuinbouw Organisatie (ZLTO, the farmers union of the South of the Netherlands). As the main lobby for the Dutch large scale meat-industry and as the owner of the biggest meat-processor in Europe VION Food Group, the ZLTO is co-responsible for the misery caused by massive imports of animal feed from other parts of the world. For example the deforestation, pollution, land-conflicts, violence and poverty because of the massive expansion of large scale soy production, an important ingredient of animal feed in Europe. Jorge Galeano, Javiera Rulli from the Argentinian organisation Grupo de Reflexión Rural and the rest of the activists use their action to ask solidarity from dutch farmers and farmers unions with their colleagues in Zuid-Amerika.

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Raising support for a peasant family in Paraguay

Here you can find a call to support a harassed and threatened family in Paraguay with their fights against big soy farmers and with their more general struggle against the marching on of soyplantations that mainly produce animal feed for Europe.

Dear Friends,

With this letter we are seeking financial support for Petrona Villasboa from Paraguay, and her family, who are currently living in ever worsening circumstances. Like many thousands of other small farmers in her region, Petrona and her family are suffering the direct consequences of the rapid expansion of industrial soy plantations around her small plot of land.
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