Soybeans, rows and rows of soybeans all around. In western Paraguay
the fields that were once thick rain forests are now soybean
plantations. They stretch far into the distance swaying hypnotically
back and forth in the wind. This ocean of soy, though, is dotted
with small islands--houses, actually, that belong to the subsistence
campensinos who once eked out a living farming an array of crops like
sugar, cotton, wheat, and maize. But now there is only industrial
harvested soy. And pesticides.
Soybeans, of course, have a very good reputation in the West (think tofu
and biofuels), but the reality is they have damaging repercussions in
developing nations where environmental laws are lax and local
populations are exploited by multinational corporations. Right now,
this is happening in Paraguay, the world's fastest growing soybean
producer.
The Soybean Wars was produced by Charles Lane, and mixed by Jared Weissbrot. Special thanks to the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting.
Links:
Denounciation of growth
A group of farmers march in the Paraguayan capital rejecting the country's claims of economic growth
Genetically modified soybeans
An article on the implications of the soybeans rush in South America.
Paraguay
All you need to know about Paraguay.
Pulitzer Center Reportingon Crisis Reporting: Soybean Wars
A focus on the soyabean wars in Paraguaya and its impact from different sources and political related links.
Books:
 Paraguay: Corruption, Reform, and the Financial System
by: Jeffrey R. Franks, Valerie Mercer-Blackman, Randa Sab 2005
A frank look at the governing system in Paraguay
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