95% of the planet’s food related patents are concentrated in only seven developed countries, denounced Vicente M. Garcés from Spain’s Center for Rural Studies and International Agriculture (CERAI), at the inauguration of the first international food sovereignty forum.
The event taking place in Havana includes more than 300 delegates coming from over 200 agrarian, native peoples, social and professional organizations based in 60 countries. These participants head the world’s anti neoliberal globalization movement.
Intellectual property rights and patent systems made more acute by scarcity and privatization of biological material, together with U.S. help to transnationals that carry out genetic modifications on seeds were considered a slap in the face for world public opinion.
The announcement by a group of Belgian scientists of the presence of a DNA fragment of unknown origin in transnational company Monsanto’s "Roundup Ready" genetically modified soya was another warning launched by participants who consider that genetic material belongs to us all.
Scientists from various regions throughout the world questioned experiments made on genetically modified soya by this U.S. company-a huge producer of this type of modified food.
For some months now, informed Garcés, world campaigns favoring agrarian reform have been developed as an essential element in combating poverty. The cry of Bread, Land and Liberty has resounded throughout the countryside in many parts of the world, he indicated.
Peoples’ rights to food implies the rights of campesinos to have access to food production resources, and in particular, the right to land, highlighted the CERAI leader.
Garcés urged the revision of free trade treaties, rejected the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement, and called for a moratorium for the farming industry in its negotiations with the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The globalization of poverty can be observed in the way that nowadays more than 80 countries have a per capita income less than that of ten years ago. According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 20% of the world’s richest countries control 86% of goods and services exports.
National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP) president Orlando Lugo Fonte stated that the policy of using food as an instrument for political and economic pressure was disgraceful, adding that this was against the Declaration of Rome that reaffirmed the importance of cooperation.
Although Cuba is not the only country subjected to these type of measures, perhaps it suffers like no other from the over 40 year old U.S. economic blockade, as it is deprived of acquiring food and medicine amongst many other articles.
During the worst years of the 1990’s not one school nor hospital was closed on the island, confirmed Lugo. He explained that no workers were laid off, and education, health and social security budgets were not cut.
In accordance with popular agreement, highlighted the ANAP president, Cuba is applying all possible measures of resistance and initiating an economic recovery that also allows growth in education and health programs.
