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I don’t necessarily expect to be welcomed into a closed, board-room meeting. Or, the secret negotiations of nation-states as they deliberate economic agreements, or arms deals. But, when a process like the Roundtable on Responsible Soy (RTRS) markets itself as a participatory, transparent, democratic, and multi-stakeholder process, my expectations are a little different. Yesterday, I [...]
Continue reading...By Andrea, April 22 2008
The voices are growing louder. In recent weeks declarations released by social movements, as well as social justice and environmental NGO’s internationally have pronounced: there is no such thing as responsible soy. The very nature by which soy monoculture is produced, taking up vast swaths of land throughout South America, using massive amounts of water [...]
Continue reading...By Andrea, March 9 2008
Final Dispatch: Andrea and Jodie writing from the South American soy frontier On the way back from visiting the threatened Yaguarete forest and the community of Tava Guarani, we happened upon a soy plantation called Laguna Blanca. It wasn’t hidden; in fact, a large billboard outside the plantation gate proudly advertised it, and called our [...]
Continue reading...By Andrea, March 4 2008
Dispatch #2: Jodie and Andrea writing from Paraguay Rural campesino communities in Paraguay are isolated from each other by many conditions: poor roads, distance, lack of bus fare (or lack of buses), shoddy communication, and a self-reliance that keeps them bound to the land. And yet there is something that has evolved simultaneously in many [...]
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A joint dispatch from Jodie and Andrea, RAN campaigners traveling through Argentina and Paraguay: The trip between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Asuncion, Paraguay, takes 16 hours by bus. Although about 10 of those hours pass in darkness, the remaining 6 leave no guess as to what whizzing views one misses during the bumpy night. There [...]
Continue reading...By Andrea, January 31 2008
There is a growing consensus that the highly touted “fuel of the future” may not be the panacea that we once that it was. Agrofuels, made from large-scale industrial crops, like palm oil, soy, sugarcane and canola, have far more social and environmental problems than benefits. But, let’s get clear on something. Agrofuels are very [...]
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Tonight at the Women’s Building, RAN, along with co-sponsors Grassroots International, Food First, California Food and Justice Coalition, Amazon Watch, Friends of the MST, and Global Exchange are hosting Rafael Alegria, former executive secretary of Via Campesina. Via Campesina is an international network that represents over 100 million small producers around the world, and is [...]
Continue reading...By Andrea, December 6 2007
Francisco Avalos at a sustainable farm in Minnesota
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Now that I’ve been back in the office for a few days, I’ve had a chance to reflect on the intensely rewarding, multi-city, multi-layover, whirlwind inspiration that was our international delegation and U.S. speaking tour. Delegates from Brazil, Paraguay and Papua New Guinea traveled up to 46 hours in order to tell their stories to [...]
Continue reading...By Andrea, August 24 2007
Last week, RAN’s new agribusiness campaign put ADM chief executive officer Patricia A. Woertz on notice. In a two page letter we let her know that RAN has fundamental concerns about her company’s role in the expansion of soy and palm oil plantations throughout South America, Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Africa. The letter is [...]
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Our response to @MittRomney's out of touch response to #BofA protest in #CLT last week: http://t.co/6jGh8huQ
By Andrea, April 24 2008
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