Bunge, Monsanto, Cargill, Dreyfus and ADM are the owners of the grains of the world, the dairy products sector is in the hands of Nestle, Parmalat and Danone, and the same happens with the cellulose forestry chain, with Ence, Botnia and Stora Enso.

In an interview with Real World Radio, one of the leaders of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST), Joao Pedro Stedile, said that the expansion of monoculture plantations in the Southern Cone is leading to the “destruction” of small towns, is featured by high mechanization and intensive use of agrotoxics, in addition to being a model which “attempts against life”.

“Not even ants survive in a eucalyptus plantation”, he stated.

Stedile also highlighted that the future of the investment projects by international companies depends on the level of subordination of the local governments, which are spending resources from national savings.

“They take money from the people, through taxes or public banks, and give it to allow international companies, which only contribute with technology, to build plants in Latin America”, he added.

The development models which aim at foreign direct investment are destined “not to produce food, but dollars” and hinder any effort to diversify production.

Stedile made reference to the international financial crisis, saying that there are only two previous cases of a similar crisis in the history of industrial capitalism: the crisis of 1870 which led to Paris Commune and the one from 1929 which put an end to World War II.

“This crisis will be long, just like those, and will have even more negative social effects. We have to look for popular solutions to the crisis aimed at solving the problems of the people”, he concluded.