New report on GE soya in Argentina
Date Received: Tuesday 15th March 2005
Group: Gaia Foundation
http://www.peoplesearthdecade.org/articles/article.php?id=383

This new case study on the impact of GE soya in Argentina has come out now to feed directly into two key meetings exploring the possibility and concepts of "sustainable soya production", taking place in Brazil.

Some NGOs and CSOs are involved in a round table meeting with industry, including Unilever, Syngenta, Pioneer Overseas International, Monsanto, Cargill and Dow Elanco. The round table meeting will be taking place at the Hotel Bourbon, Foz do Iguazu, Brazil on 17 and 18 March.

Other NGOs and CSOs are involved in the counter conference organised by Grupo de Reflexion Rural Argentina (GRR - Rural Reflection Group, Argentina) and the Movimiento Campesino de Santiago del Estero (MOCASE Santiago del Estero Farmers’ Movement). This gathering will take place from 16 to 18 March at the MST’s Institute for Education and Agricultural Reform (ITEPA), in São Miguel do Iguazu.

The report argues:

"Agriculture based on soya monocultures can never be sustainable. The 'sustainable soya' proposal to rotate soya monocultures with cattle production merely implies alternating extensive monocultures with intensive livestock production, both heavily mechanised and reliant on chemicals. Both occupy vast stretches of land, displacing other crops, whilst using minimal labour."

In its conclusion it further states:

"The catastrophe that is unfolding in Argentina, as described in this case study, shows how genetic modification of crops creates hunger and dependency. The Argentine case is a warning that must not be ignored by people who want to defend their political sovereignty and their food security."

Originally prepared for the Gaia Foundation by Grupo de Reflexion Rural Argentina and published in Spanish in 2004, this case study is a new document, translated and rewritten by Helena Paul (Econexus) in collaboration with the original authors.

You can download the full case study (Spanish), its Executive Summary (English), and the new full rewritten English version of the case study below.

For more information about the two conferences, visit:
www.iguazu.grr.org.ar and www.sustainablesoy.org.

Downloads: A Case Study on the Impact of GE Soya In Argentina
http://www.peoplesearthdecade.org/uploads/documents/mediacentre/383/ArgentinaGEfull_eng.pdf
Argentina Executive Summary
http://www.peoplesearthdecade.org/uploads/documents/mediacentre/383/Argentina%20GE%20soya%20summary.pdf
Argentina y Soja RR - Estudio de Caso
http://www.peoplesearthdecade.org/uploads/documents/mediacentre/383/ArgentinaRRSOYA_esp.pdf
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EXCERPT from Argentina Executive Summary
http://www.peoplesearthdecade.org/uploads/documents/mediacentre/383/Argentina%20GE%20soya%20summary.pdf

The consequences of growing RR soya in Argentina include a massive exodus from the countryside as small farmers found they could no longer make a living or were driven off their land.

The use of agrochemicals and chemical fertilisers has increased and the aerial spraying of herbicides has led to ecological contamination and health problems.

Deforestation is accelerating. New diseases and tolerant weeds have emerged in response to the establishment of GE soya monocultures. Hunger and malnutrition have appeared in a country long accustomed to producing 10 times as much food as the population required.

Now RR soya is being imposed on poor Argentineans as a substitute for meat, milk, eggs, lentils and other traditional products, thus forcing a change in the national diet.

Such food projects are often presented as charity and backed by those profiting from soya production. However, the government sees the export of RR soya as a key factor in servicing the country's massive debt.

Argentina is a warning that GE crops are no solution for hunger, debt or agricultural problems. In fact they are a threat to food sovereignty and security and a tool for inducing dependence.