|
|
|
|
|
|
Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE March 24, 2006
|
|
| site design imagesparkle.com |
| February 13, 2006 |
Buenos Aires, Argentina – Global University Study Program: From Granary of the World to a Nation Nearing Starvation |
|
| |
 |
| Professor Walter Pengue presents a lecture onboard. |
The second unit of Peace Boat’s Global University program focused on Argentina as a case study in order to spotlight the global issues surrounding food production, distribution and consumption. Before calling at Buenos Aires, Professor Walter Pengue, a specialist in agriculture, economics and environmental issues at the University of Buenos Aires, came onboard in order to share with participants the current situation of this Latin American giant struggling to recover from economic collapse.
Known as the Granary of the World for most of the 20th century, Professor Pengue argues that since the 1990’s, “Argentina’s neo-liberal policies have turned it into a commodity provider, as it now mostly provides fodder for Europe’s animals in the way of soy exports.” |
site design imagesparkle.com |
 |
| Sixty percent of Argentina’s cultivated land is covered by genetically modified soy fields, such as this one near Rosario. |
For over 100 years, the Argentinean agricultural model thrived as one of the most successful in the world. Food production satisfied the needs of its population while a large surplus allowed for substantial exports. In addition, crop rotation maximized soil quality and productivity, reducing erosion and other related environmental problems. Traditional farming wove together a social fabric and order as well, as small and medium farms provided employment for a large rural population.
In the 1990’s, however, Argentina experienced a shift towards neo-liberal policies which encouraged the application of new agricultural technologies and an agro-export model. In particular, large soy plantations using genetically modified seeds became the standard. As soy has proven itself to be a versatile multi-purpose crop easy to produce and control in regards to pests, large industrial farms reap immense profits from it – but only for the exclusive few who own the land.
The results stemming from this shift towards industrial soy plantations have been devastating for Argentina’s agricultural system and society. Most small and medium size farms have disappeared as family-run ventures can not compete with large operations receiving lareg scale corporate support. The decline of employment opportunities in rural areas has been another side effect. High-tech machinery has reduced the need for manual labor, hence creating an influx of jobless peasant workers to Argentina’s urban areas. Today, the unemployment rate stands at around 25 percent and growing.
Meanwhile, as the short-term maximization of profits has become priority, land is being overworked, leading to alarming rates of erosion and other environmental problems. At the same time, Argentina is no longer able to feed its people. Despite producing enough soy to feed 100 million people, 17 million Argentineans, nearly half of the population, live under the poverty level and suffer from some level of malnourishment. |
| |
 |
| Peace Boat participant analyzes a genetically modified soy leaf. Photo by: Federico Gonzalez. |
During Peace Boat’s call in Buenos Aires, the Global University students and coordinators headed north towards the central city of Rosario to witness the agricultural problem firsthand, and to analyze methods being implemented to counter these negative trends.
Our first stop was at a genetically modified soy plantation affiliated to AAPRESID (Asociación Argentina de Productores en Siembra Directa), an organization providing guidance to estates applying no-tilling methods and using genetically modified seeds. Here, the owners argue for the positive economic results due to the use of such techniques. A form of crop rotation is practiced, which undoubtedly slows down the erosion pace.
Nevertheless, their vision undeniably follows the neo-liberal trend. There is a strong argument for the “reduction or elimination of rural manual labor [since it leads] to very good profits” as well as “the concentration of wealth which would eventually spread through society via the trickle-down theory.” Peace Boat participants, however, proclaimed their doubts regarding such techniques. With unemployment on the rise, the lack of human presence in such extensive farm land led some to express a feeling of desolation and eeriness. Today, 60 percent of Argentina’s cultivated arable land follows the no-tilling and genetically modified seed model. |
| |
 |
| FAA President Eduardo Buzzi (left) and Peace Boat staff Ichiro Gutierrez. |
Later, the Global University group assisted a lecture by Eduardo Buzzi, president of the FAA (Federación Agrícola de Argentina). This non-government organization strongly argues for the interests of small and medium size farms applying a multi-crop traditional system. Mr. Buzzi firmly claims “the FAA is not against technology, but it stands resolutely for equality within development and against the concentration of power, land and economic wealth.” Out of the 35 million inhabitants in Argentina, 6000 families own half of all agriculturally productive land.
Hence, as Argentina’s land tenure has reached a critical inbalance, Mr. Buzzi argues for the retention of family-run production methods within the agricultural model: “Industrial agriculture” he explains “can not be the only productive strategy for any country. Today, in the so called granary of the world, 23 children die each day from malnourishment.” |
| |
 |
| Organic lettuce from one of the more than 600 urban farms ran by the municipality of Rosario. |
On the second day of our exposure program, the Global University group exchanged ideas with groups developing alternative methods of agro-production. The financial calamity of 2001 led to a devastating social crisis to which the local government of the city of Rosario reacted by kick-starting creative initiatives.
A particularly remarkable project focuses on the concept of urban agriculture. As rural peasants fled to the big cities in search of jobs, the Rosario municipality decided to provide this new labor-hungry force with land to cultivate within the urban area. Hence, instead of displacing the new urbanites yet again by finding land in the far off countryside, a new kind of solution was being experimented with in Argentina’s second largest city.
Unused and vacant public lots were loaned free of charge for two-year periods so long as the intended use was for agricultural production. In addition, those willing to lease their private lots for the same purpose would receive tax breaks in their favour. By 2002, 6000 individuals were working and producing food products for sale and consumption in more than 800 lots. Today, the numbers remain about the same. |
| |
 |
| Members of the Rosario Urban Agriculture program in the packaging plant. |
In addition to leasing unused lots, the city of Rosario has been widely active in supporting the sale of the organic produce harvested in the urban vegetable gardens. Peace Boat participants had the opportunity to visit a packing center where urban farmers can wash, cut, weigh, pack and price their produce. Afterwards, the group stopped at a market near the mighty Paraná River specifically set aside for such products.
According to Raul Terrile from the Program of Urban Agriculture in the city of Rosario, 50 percent of the world’s agricultural produce used for direct human consumption come from urban agricultural programs. Hence, the Rosario municipality has really been using a model already being applied globally; a positive sign that we can draw on progressive solutions from others in order to benefit our own communities.
|
| |
|
|
|
