Archive for the 'Maí­z (Corn)' Category

More Consequences of the Biofuel Boom

Published
by
Jennifer
on June 2, 2007
in Maí­z (Corn) and Mexico
. 0 Comments

When you have Google News set to automatically find you any news related to maize (corn), you can discover gems such as this one. I like that it links to all of the articles that Google news is failing to send me. With all of this negative attention on biofuel and the rising cost of food staples, I wonder what this will do to the drive for alternative fuel sources. Be sure to check out the related articles hyperlinked throughout the article.

Tequila, pork and orangutans: new victims of the biofuel boom
01 Jun 2007 15:07:00 GMT
Blogged by: Ruth Gidley

A looming shortage of tequila wouldn’t usually be an AlertNet crisis, but in this case it could be a sign of hungry times ahead.

Mexican farmers are torching fields of blue agave, the cactus-like plant used to make the fiery spirit, and resowing the land with maize as soaring U.S. ethanol demand pushes up prices.

The spiky-leaved agave plant can take eight years to reach maturity, so cutting them down and burning out the roots isn’t something that can be turned around easily.

Troubled farmers are hoping to cash in on the biofuels boom, but there have been protests over rocketing food prices in Mexico, where maize is the staple food.

In China, gas stations in some provinces already mix 10-percent ethanol into the gasoline they sell. The problem is that the increasing use of maize for industrial purposes in ethanol production is driving up the cost of corn for agricultural use, mainly to feed pigs. The knock-on effect is a dramatic rise in the price of pork, one of China’s most widely consumed food staples.

The Christian Science Monitor quotes Chinese political analysts who say the government is afraid that rising food costs could affect social stability. Inflation was an important factor in sparking the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square 18 years ago.

Authorities in Beijing are trying to impose limits on the production of ethanol using traditional food crops, but they are hard-pressed to keep a lid on the large and small ethanol factories which are springing up in China’s corn-producing regions and are starting to compete with animal-feed manufacturers for raw materials.

Chinese projects are under way to make ethanol instead from cassava - a starchy tuber common in Africa but not used as food in China - and jatropha, also inedible and grown in wastelands.

African food prices are feeling the impact of the biofuel boom too, with South African maize shooting from $85 a tonne in recent years to $282 a tonne in March, U.N. news service IRIN reports.

In Asia, palm oil is the big biofuel focus. Used in toothpaste, cookies, ice cream and breads, it’s the world’s second most popular edible oil after soy, and Malaysia and Indonesia together produce 83 percent of it.

They’ve already come under attack for clearing forests to plant palms for biofuel production. Apart from the environmental consequences of huge fires and diminishing forests, campaigners say orangutans could be extinct in 10 years because the animals’ habitat is shrinking and they’re sometimes killed for straying into palm plantations.

And let’s not forget about the people…people affected from an oppressive trade agreement…people affected by a system of globalization that is more complex than the biofuel issue.

Corn and Immigration

Published
by
Jennifer
on May 24, 2007
in Immigration, Maí­z (Corn) and Mexico
. 5 Comments

I love Kohn’s analysis of NAFTA’s affect on Mexico’s corn industry and how it all relates to immigration. We can debate the section on ethanol…but her overall analysis is part of what I argue in my dissertation:

Corn-Fueled Migration
Sally Kohn
May 23, 2007

Sally Kohn is director of the New York-based Movement Vision Project, working with grassroots organizations across the United States to advance our shared values of family, community and humanity.

Thankfully, immigration reform is progressing in Congress. There are 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States who have made invaluable contributions to our culture and economy and deserve the basic rights and dignity that citizenship provides.

Yet some nasty provisions stand out in the compromise Senate legislation—prioritizing highly-skilled, English-speaking immigrants over working class immigrants and people of color whose families are already here, and blocking the opportunity of citizenship for future “guestworkers”, continuing the two-tiered system of discrimination and exploitation that currently exists. Instead, if we examined the root causes of migration, we might actually help—rather than punish—immigrants.

And here “root” cause is not just a metaphor. The seeds of the immigration dynamics we now face are planted on the U.S. side of the border, the kernel of which is corn. Corn is what causes migration and corn is the only way the injustices of immigration, on both sides of the border, will ever be solved.

As the birth nation of just over half of the undocumented immigrants in the United States, Mexico provides a good example. Although agriculture is less than 5 percent of Mexico’s gross domestic product, more than a quarter of Mexicans still make their living as farmers. And most of the poorest of those farmers grow corn. Over 60 percent of Mexico’s cultivated land is planted with corn, most of which are small family plots. In all, 18 million Mexicans, including farmers and their families, rely on corn for their livelihood.

Enter NAFTA in 1994, which opened the U.S.-Mexico border to trade. It’s worth noting that before the wealthy nations in the European Union like France and German expanded trade with poorer nations like Portugal and Greece, the wealthier countries first transferred huge sums of money to the poorer nations, to build their infrastructure and help get them to the equal footing necessary for trade to work. Not so with Mexico. The United States (1990 GDP: $23,130—a.k.a. Goliath) became “equal trading partners” with Mexico (1990 GDP: $6,090—a.k.a. David).

On top of that, corn production in the United States is heavily subsidized. Under the farm bill, which is up for reauthorization this year, we taxpayers give over $25 billion each year mainly to large, industrial corporate farms. And the more corn the factory farms produce, the more money they make. That means there are big corporations with mounds of corn on their hands that they can sell for cheap because they’ve already made plenty off the subsidies. Cheap corporate corn floods the Mexican market, drowning local producers.

So what’s the result? Imported corn now dominates the Mexican market. For instance, in Mexico—the birthplace of corn—one-out-of-three tortillas is now made with imported maize. An estimated two million family farmers who can’t compete with subsidized U.S. corn have been driven from their land. They now have to buy imported corn to feed their families but don’t have the income to afford it. Meanwhile, American politicians following the instructions of corporate farm lobbyists start pushing ethanol. Even though the “alternative” fuel actually wastes more energy than it produces, it’s made from corn so agribusiness loves it. The new demand for corn drives up prices. And so the price of a tortilla in Mexico has risen 279 percent since NAFTA. The overall effect impacts not only farmers but all Mexicans, especially the poor. Since NAFTA, poverty in Mexico has increased. As of 2001, over 80 percent of people in rural Mexico were living in poverty.

So is it any wonder that as more and more U.S. corn flows to Mexico, more and more Mexicans cross the border to the U.S.? And corn is just the beginning. Migration around the world is the direct result of U.S. policies and actions. As immigrant rights leaders in England often chant, “We’re here because you were there.” Exactly.

Improving immigration policy in the United States is an important start and hopefully the legislation that comes out of Congress will be far improved over the current draft. But in addition, American farmers and factory workers who have also been devastated by U.S. economic policies must join with immigrant rights leaders to repeal NAFTA and other disastrous trade agreements and remove bloated corporate subsidies from the farm bill. And, as military occupation of Iraq goes hand-in-hand with economic occupation of the global south, the United States must start spending far more money on foreign aid and assistance than border enforcement and war. Maybe then we could start producing an abundance of fairness and justice on both sides of the border, instead of corn.

The Future is Now…

Published
by
Jennifer
on May 5, 2007
in Maí­z (Corn) and Mexico
. 0 Comments

Although studies have already found GM maize (corn) in Mexico, particularly in Oaxaca, GM maize is not “officially” or legally grown in Mexico….but that will soon change. Monsanto and other biotechnological seed companies have pushed for their transgenic seeds to be grown in Mexico for years. It appears that they are one step closer. The Science and Development Network reports:

[MEXICO CITY] Mexican farmers have signed an agreement with biotechnology giant Monsanto to buy and plant genetically modified (GM) maize.

According to the agreement signed earlier this month (18 April) by Mexico’s National Confederation of Corn Growers (CNPAMM) ? affiliated with the umbrella agricultural association National Campesino Confederation ? Monsanto will provide Mexican producers with GM seeds, as well as initiate activities to protect native maize, including setting up a maize germplasm bank.

Many environmental and indigenous groups oppose the introduction of GM plants, fearing that it may contaminate native varieties of maize in the country.

Maize originated in Mexico and is home to 3,500 native varieties. It is the main food crop in Mexico, its production employing almost 12 million people.

The Mexican parliament’s chamber of deputies has not yet approved regulations for the experimental sowing of GM plants as part of Mexico’s biosecurity laws.

Francisco Lopez, Mexico’s vice-minister for agriculture, said the regulations will be published in the coming weeks, and tests on GM maize will begin in the northern state of Sonora in August.

Carlos Salazar, president of CNPAMM, estimates that more than 90 per cent of small and medium growers will use GM seeds to improve productivity.

Jesus Madrazo, president of Monsanto Mexico, said the commercialisation of GM maize will begin in 2010, once the evaluation phases required by the biosecurity laws have been completed.

The Wrath of the Corn Gods

Published
by
Jennifer
on April 17, 2007
in Maí­z (Corn) and Mexico
. 0 Comments

Corn prices continue rise and news stories related to this problem are increasingly common. Last week I saw an ABC News story blaming the rise of corn prices on the increasing demand of ethanol as an alternative fuel source. The ABC story led us to the plight of dairy farmers who must pay more to feed their cattle. Increased demand for corn means farmers devote more space to growing it and less to other grains. A rise of corn means a rise in the basic products that rely upon.

An article on April 15 by ABC News claims that scientists are engineering an alternative ethanol that does not rely on corn:

Scientists at DuPont Co., for instance, have been tinkering with the DNA of an agave-loving bug in a bid to make ethanol from corn waste rather than the kernel itself. Working with $19 million of its own money and the same amount from a Department of Energy grant, the chemical company hopes to have a pilot plant in operation by 2010.

The idea is to genetically engineer microscopic bugs such as bacteria and fungus to spit out enzymes that will break down just about every imaginable crop into ethanol. This would theoretically fulfill President Bush’s initiative to support flexible-fuel vehicles, which are capable of using gasoline and ethanol blends, and to cut gas consumption by 20 percent in 10 years.

While it is wonderful that we are taking more interest in the sustainable future of our world, a number of issues are ignored. First, this debate does not look into our own trade agreements that led us to this point. Mexicans are reliant on the importation of U.S. corn because their domestic policies no longer support their domestic corn growers. Second, with ethanol production we neglected to look to our future and the potential side effects of this technology. What are the side effects of this new technology that involves microscopic bugs? And finally, who are U.S. scientists and policies attempting to benefit? Is it possible for the U.S. to develop a truly global sustainable policy?

[What I am also neglecting in this blog is an analysis of how the world food economy can not be sustained as long as we continue to use our grains to feed the meat industry and subsequently the fast food industry. But that is a discussion for another day.]

The March for Tortillas

Published
by
Jennifer
on January 31, 2007
in Activism, Maí­z (Corn) and Mexico
. 1 Comment

marchaThousands of Mexicans have marched to demand a sufficient supply of affordable tortillas. Since the implementation of NAFTA, Mexico has relied on the cheap importation of U.S. corn. However, the prices of tortillas has recently increased by over 400%. Some blame the increase on the demand of corn to produce environmentally friendly biofuel. Others blame the lack of support for internal agricultural corn cultivation.

Gathered in the zocalo in Mexico city, the protesters demanded a social contract to protect their salaries, food supply, and employment. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the man who “lost” the presidential election, read the Zocalo Declaration, which lists the demands of the organizations in support of the march. Included in the demands are changes to the electoral process, making farming a priority, human rights, true democracy, and the preservation of the environment and biodiversity. This is definitely a movement of diverse causes!

I suggest listening to this story on NPR from 1/18/07.

Bimbo y tortillas

Published
by
Jennifer
on January 27, 2007
in Español, Maí­z (Corn), Mexico, NAFTA and Oaxaca, Mexico
. 0 Comments
YouTube Preview Image

La description de YouTube:

La empresa Bimbo creo un monopolio para controlar el mercado de maíz en México. Algunos sectores de la población intentaron impedir dicho monopolio pero la empresa con ayuda del gobierno federal logró un amparo. La empresa Bimbo apoyo durante su campaña a Alberto Cárdenas actual secretario de agricultura quien también apoyo el monopolio. En el 2008 se abre la frontera de semillas debido al TLC y Bimbo se ha convertido en el principal importandor de semillas transgénicas. La UNAM ya advirtió sobre los riesgos que esto implica. Bimbo es el principal responsable de la escalade precios de la tortilla. denuncia.

Si, es la verdad, pero el papel de Presidente Fox es muy importante. Mexico necesita a desarrollar la agricultura de maiz en Mexico. Porque, ahora la importación de maíz de los Estado Unidos es malo para la sostenibilidad de comunidades indígenas.

This video and the description blames the increase of tortilla prices and the largest importation of genetically modified seeds on the monopoly of Bimbo. While they may be playing a definite role in it, and I support calling them to make change, we can not forget the role of NAFTA and the recent decisions by the Mexican government. To combat the rising prices of corn, Fox is importing more corn from the U.S. instead of trying to develop the cultivation of Mexican corn.

The Battle Over Maize

Published
by
Jennifer
on January 9, 2007
in Maí­z (Corn) and Oaxaca, Mexico
. 1 Comment

maizNAFTA gave control of corn production to the United States. The deal struck between the U.S. and Mexico allows the U.S. to export its corn (mostly genetically modified) to the people that first used it (Mexico) and in return, Mexico was promised job opportunities through an increase of factories placed throughout Mexico. However, the majority of the factories continue to be placed along the border, increasing the displacement of families and the unemployment of rural farmers. So already, the recent state of corn in Mexico has disadvantaged farmers and decreased the diversity of corn seeds. And now, reports claim that the price of tortillas has gone up 10 pesos per kilo in some parts of the country. And this can be blaimed in part on the rising cost of corn. El Universal reports: “‘Corn costs 100 percent more than it did a year ago,” said Rafael Ortega Sánchez, director of the National Chamber of the Cornmeal and Tortilla Production Industry.”

I refer you to an article in El Universal today:

Economy Secretary Eduardo Sojo said Monday that recent increases in tortilla prices reflect several recent developments, including transport difficulties, harvest woes and increased demand from new uses of corn as a fuel source

Economy Secretary Eduardo Sojo said Monday that recent increases in tortilla prices reflect several recent developments, including transport difficulties, harvest woes and increased demand from new uses of corn as a fuel source.

Tortilla prices went up to 10 pesos per kilo in some parts of the country over the weekend, sparking complaints from those who until recently were used to paying less than five pesos.

Industry officials blamed the rising price of corn. “Corn costs 100 percent more than it did a year ago,” said Rafael Ortega Sánchez, director of the National Chamber of the Cornmeal and Tortilla Production Industry.

He also said that middlemen, such as distributors, are contributing to the tortilla inflation.

But, he said, tortilla prices in and around Mexico City are closer to seven or eight pesos a kilo. “In some out of the way places, however, it´s as high as 10,” Ortega said.

In Nezahualcóyotl, a city of more than 2 million just east of Mexico City in the State of Mexico, a kilogram of tortillas was selling for 10 pesos on Sunday.

Meanwhile, federal legislators from across the political spectrum criticized the high tortilla prices, saying they hurt the poor the most. Senators José Guillermo Anaya Llamas of the National Action Party (PAN) and Graco Ramírez Garrido of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) both said they suspected that a federally mandated increase in gasoline prices, announced in November, was adding to the high tortilla costs.

Ortega Sánchez ruled out a return to government-controlled tortilla prices, but tortilla makers in Mexico City asked for federal action to control other basic costs they say are causing them to raise their prices. They said high gasoline costs are making them less competitive against the “disloyal competition” of the supermarkets, which sell tortillas at cheaper prices.

And to part of a very interesting article in Spanish from Noticias which states that the price of corn has been increasing since the “liberalization” of corn trade through NAFTA:

La Cámara Nacional de la Industria de la Masa y la Tortilla, ha adelantado que ya se contempla una nueva alza en el precio de la tortilla, aunque piensa todavía no aplicarla en enero, pues aún falta analizar las necesidades de todo el sector que tendrán durante el año.

Sin embargo, en la práctica el incremento, desordenado y sin control, ha venido operando desde el año que acaba de finalizar hasta que los medios se dieron cuenta y lo empezaron a difundir.

El solo anuncio generó temor entre la población de escasos recursos económicos que se nutre de este producto de primerísima necesidad ya que, según especialistas, el 47 por ciento de las calorías de nuestra dieta se obtienen a través de este alimento, consumido por la población desde tiempos inmemorables.

Hay muchos factores económicos que han llevado al encarecimiento y escasez del maíz en México al grado de que después de ser el país de origen de la gramínea, hoy tenemos que importar grandes cantidades del mercado internacional, del cual el estadounidense sigue teniendo el control.

Sujeto al precio que se imponga el 12 de enero cuando termina la cosecha, el mercado de futuros de Chicago determina el precio para el 2007 que podría estar ubicado entre los 134 y 162 dólares la tonelada de maíz….

Investigaciones periodisticas señalan que el precio de la torrilla ha venido incrementándose desde 1995 cuando por las políticas neoliberales se liberalizó el precio y el sector quedó sin vigilancia que brindaba por ejemplo la Conasupo, a partir de 1999.

La competencia entre tortilleros e industriales de la masa se hizo más aguda al grado de que ahora se cuentan casi 50 mil establecimientos que producen ganancias por 69 mil millones de pesos al año, generan 225 mil empleos directos e involucran en su cultivo a 2.2 millones de campesinos productores de maíz.

De los 75 centavos por kilo que costaba hace 12 años, el precio ha venido aumentando entre 4.50 y ocho pesos, dependiendo de la región del país. Se señala que en Tabasco llega a costar hasta 13 pesos.

En Oaxaca, de enorme tradición prehispánica de consumir tortillas hechas a mano, el impacto podría ser mayor, pues en los mercados una sola tortilla elaborada por mujeres, cuesta un peso.

El oaxaqueño sin embargo, ha tenido que sufrir el engaño de consumir tortillas ya no elaboradas con el método tradicional de mezclar maíz cocido con cal, sino el de la harina de maíz nixtamalizado a la que sólo se agrega agua para obtener la masa.

En las colonias populares, en las comunidades campesinas, la gente esperaría que así como en los presupuestos se asigna un subsidio especial para diversos rubros, el maíz también se vea beneficiado para que sus bolsillos de por sí menguados con el raquítico aumento al minisalario no reciban este fuerte impacto que viene a juntarse con el incremento al precio de un peso al litro de leche Liconsa que el gobierno foxista aplicó antes de su salida.

Si pudiera existir - “es ¡populismo!”, gritarán los conservadores, mantener un precio fijo que impida abusos muchos lo agradecerán, porque comer tortilla, aunque subamos de peso, sigue siendo una necesidad y una delicia.

La Jornada reports that the cost of tortillas could raise to 15 pesos per kilo in the coming months.

13th Anniversary of the Zapatista Uprising

Published
by
Jennifer
on January 2, 2007
in Maí­z (Corn) and Oaxaca, Mexico
. 1 Comment

zapatista campanero putting up flagJanuary 1st marked the 13th anniversary of the Zapatista’s uprising. While the Zapatistas had been organizing for years, their “coming-out” moment was timed to coincide with the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA is a trade agreement between Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. The indigenous communities of Mexico are negatively affected by NAFTA because the agreement places emphasis on imported products over the need/desire for subsistence living. The effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have sparked campesinos to organize against the importation of genetically modified corn from the United States. Laura Carlsen argues, “The contamination of native varieties with genetically modified imported maize could have major consequences for Mexican campesinos (farmers), for local biodiversity and for the world’s genetic reserves” (2004). This has translated into a variety of dynamic organizations and indigenous campaigns that focus on combating the effects of NAFTA and the preservation of land rights, biodiversity, and culture. The Mexican government agreed to grow less corn, accept the importation of U.S. corn (which is mostly GM), and in return indigenous farmers were promised jobs in factories that would be built throughout the country. In reality, not enough jobs were made to sustain the farmers that their source of income. Most of the factories were built and remain at the border. This issue relates to the problem of immigration and separation of families, not to mention the loss of biodiversity. Oaxaca is the birthplace of corn, and this biodiversity is now threatened by the cross pollination of GM corn with native corn.

Zapatistas in the caracol in Oventic, Chiapas, are ending today a 4 day “Intergalactic Encuentro” with campaner@s from around the world. This global meeting of Zapatistas and supporters coincides with the Anniversary of the Zapatista uprising. It is probably safe to say that the participants discussed the issues of land rights, genetic modification, and water. When I attended the State Forum of the Pueblos of Oaxaca, one of the speakers discussed the “war on the campesinos through the privatization of water and the genetic modification of maiz.” Information about the “Intergalactic Encuentro” can be found at: http://www.zeztainternazional.org/. I am sad that I did not attend the encuentro, but I wish them the best of luck.

I visited a Zapatista caracol last April with the Schools for Chiapas. My visit focused on agriculture and the potential for growing the Neem seed, which could be very beneficial for the campesin@s. That trip was one of the best and enlightening experiences of my life. The beauty and intelligence of the people and the land is overwhelming. I recently uploaded some photos to my gallery from that trip.

Organic Fun in Oaxaca

Published
by
Jennifer
on December 6, 2006
in APPO, Maí­z (Corn) and Oaxaca, Mexico
. 0 Comments

Fiesta de MaizOne of the major reasons I am in Oaxaca is to study the activists and farmers who are working to protect the biodiversity of corn seeds in Mexico. It is amazing how this issue connects with the major social movement in Oaxaca. It seems that everywhere I turn, people are speaking about trangenics, NAFTA, globalization, corn, and the loss of indigenous culture. At the State Forum of Indigenous Pueblos of Oaxaca (of APPO reps), one of the four discussion groups focused on land and natural resources. A professor presented information about “the war on campesinos” (farmers) through the privatization of water and the genetic modification of corn. Transnational companies in Mexico take away the ability of indigenous communities to save seeds and have free access to water.

A few years ago a group of researchers discovered genetically modified corn in Oaxaca. This finding has a very controversial history and is still denied by seed companies. Oaxaca has the honor of being home to the origin of corn thousands of years ago. It is a central part of ancient and indigenous culture and religions. Because of the NAFTA agreement, Mexico accepts corn imported from the U.S. (which is widely transgenic corn) to be mainly used as feed for animals and food for people. However, farmers have used it as seeds for their crop. With the ease of cross-pollination, genetically modified corn could become an epidemic throughout the state and Mexico. Researchers debate about how widespread transgenic corn is in Mexico.

It is not a surprise that a movement for indigenous rights includes a movement to protect land and biodiversity. This past weekend, I attended the Organic Market at Pochete (not far from Santo Domingo) for a conference on trangenics. As a side note, I highly recommend attending this market every Friday and Saturday for the best food in town. It is a social center for people to discuss organics, crops, and local cuisine. The presenters were from Tierra del Sol, an organic farm that teaches farmers about growing organic crops. On Sunday, I attended the first ever Corn Festival in Teotilan del Valle. While I filled up on tamales and everything made of corn, activists, professors, and farmers spoke about the issue of genetically modified corn. The University of Chapingo has a central role in this education program.

There is a lot of confusion about the main demands and the goals of APPO. However, the APPO has a list of demands and future actions that are fairly clear and inclusive of a wide variety of issues. I believe that the confusion comes from a lack of communication, and some of this is at the fault of APPO. To understand this confusion, we must understand the APPO movement as an umbrella movement for a diverse group of organizations, pueblos, activist groups, and interests. Each one has their own idea and hope for the future of Oaxaca. Which is why the state reps for APPO push for non-violent activism, while others are frustrated and are looking for other means for change. This movement is entirely about negotiation.