During the whole month of May A SEED, CEO and the Movimiento Agrario y Popular, with the support of BASE.IS will cross through various European countries on an info-tour. Below the name 'la soja mata' or soy (we understand large scale soy cultivation) kills' info-evenings, meetings, action and filmfestivals will be heald in which there will be a focuss on large scale soy cultivation, genetechnology, agrofuels and resistance.
Central in this tour is Gilda Roa, representative of the Paraguayan peasant organisation MAP (Movimiento Agrario y Popular).slideshow and background on soy expansion in Paraguay and resistance of MAP

Written by Arturo Peña, translated by April Howard: Pedro Silva is the active campesino leader from the Lima District, in the province of San Pedro, and member of the Provincial Coordinator in Defense of Sovereignty, a front that opposes the advance of soy monoculture in the area,. Silva was wounded last friday night in his house by two hit men of Brazilian nationality. Silva was hit with three bullets, two in the abdomen and one in the right arm. His recuperation, in the Emergency Medical Hospital in Asunción, was stable until today when a clot was discovered that could affect his lungs, due to which surgery will be needed. The family of Pedro Silva communicated that they will be needing blood donors in the next few hours.
To contact the Silvas to make a solidarity donation, please call Silva's son in law Benigno Acosta: 0981 636 932.

Community Ybype, San Pedro, Paraguay. Written by Arturo Peña: Don Pedro Silva is what they say, in Guarani, Iguenoiterei, which literally means "good hearted” person. But he is also a fighter and community leader for many years, surviving in the district of Lima, department of San Pedro, Paraguay.
Yesterday, two people attacked him in his home in the afternoon. They entered through the back of his property (which is next to a soya monoculture). Don Pedro was shot four times with bullets in the areas of the stomach, chest and arm. He arrived to a hospital in Asuncion and is conscious (Saturday 26, 12:30 pm). He is now being under surgery in the Hospital of Emergency. He had to be transported, in a car, first from his city to another close by, Santani, and from there to Asuncion, because they could not find the necessary medical infrastructure to treat him.

Wednesday April 23, 2008, Buenos Aires:During a plenary session of the 3rd conference of the Round Table on Responsible Soy, a group of representatives of organisations signing the declaration denouncing the RTRS, made an intervention expressing their rejection of the greenwash caused by the RTRS. "Responsible soy is an unresolvable contradiction and in no way a viable option".

The Round Table on Responsible Soy is seeking to legitimise irresponsible, socially and environmentally damaging soy production, according to a new report published today (Tuesday 22 April) ahead of the Round Table on Responsible Soy’s third conference in Buenos Aires.

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RTbriefing 2008_6.pdf	1.03 MB

During this day several actions worldwide took place, a short selection:
Activists block Cargill in Belgium
Thursday April 17th, the international day of farmers struggles, the group Agrocrisis blocked a Cargill [1] company firm in the harbour of Ghent, Belgium. Some 30 activists began the action at around 6h30 in the morning and lasted until after 5 p.m. During all that time, not one truck with soy could enter or leave the firm. Some activists had locked themselves with pipes and bicycle chains at the gate, so it was impossible to open the entrance without brute force. The staff of the firm, scared of bad publicity, chose therefore to let the activists occupy the gate and didn't ask the police to intervene.

The whole month of May, Paraguayan peasant leader Gilda Roa from peasant organisation MAP, will be touring through Europe. Events have already been confirmed in Spain, Germany, Holland and Belgium.

There is still some space left in the agenda to organise more...
if you are intered please contact
an [at] aseed.net

Below some background information on the MAP
MOVIMIENTO AGRARIO Y POPULAR

Campesinos marchan en frente de CargillAfiche y volante de la movilización en adjunto.
Compesinos de toda la región protestarán frente a Cargill contra los monocultivos de soja que causan desmontes, contaminación y fumigacion de la población.
El 26 de marzo se realizó una movilización en el Departamento de San Pedro, organizada por la Coordinadora Interdistrital en Defensa de la Soberanía y bajo el lema “Contra la Invasión Sojera”. Esta protesta ciudadana responde al avance masivo de monocultivos de soja y la entrada de agroempresarios extranjeros a San Pedro,que están causando la desaparición de comunidades campesinas e indígenas y la destrucción del medio ambiente.

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afiche marcha final.pdf	1.15 MB

Cargill silo in Alto ParanáSummary of the lecture of Andrea Samulon at the conference ‘The global fight against Cargill: the experience of the United States, Brasil and Paraguay’.

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Conferencia Cargill.pdf	119.2 KB