Action against the use of pesticides surprised the National Confederation of Agriculture in the Rio + 20

Demonstration organized by Via Campesina on Thursday (21) unmasks false solutions in agribusiness, through the maintenance of landlordism and food poisoning.

“Agribusiness is the lie of Brazil.” With this slogan about 250 activists ofVia Campesina Brazil and International occupied the stand ofthe National Confederation of Agriculture (CNA), mounted on Pier Maua, to expose the discourse of sustainable agriculture agribusiness. The stand entitled AgroBrasil, sponsored by CNA, Embrapa, Sebrae and multinationals like Monsanto and JBS, proposed the promotion of new technologies to produce food and according to them, preserve the environment. The same groups prepared a document of convergence of the various proposals of agribusiness companies, to be presented on Rio + 20.

Via Campesina activists exhibited posters in the stand denouncing the abuse of pesticides, which poisons the food of the Brazilian population. They also organised an act so that people attending the event could be aware of the high consumption of poisons, Brazil being the largest consumer of pesticides in the world. “Have you already taken your dose of poison today?” shouted the protesters.

According to Cleber Folgado, coordinator of the National Campaign Against Pesticides, CNA uses a fallacious speech to attempt to deceive the public. “We came here to denounce this so that all people know the hoax promoted by CNA saying the agribusiness is sustainable.” According to Cleber, the production model of agribusiness imposes a lot of social and environmental issues with the use of pesticides as one of the most serious.

The action surprised the organizers of the stand and the people visiting it. Many supported the act, which took place peacefully. “We can not just stay at home if we want to replace agribusiness with agroecologia. We have to take to the streets to fight. ” 3,000 peasants marched in the streets of Rio to denounce the false solutions proposed by agribusiness to the environmental crisis.

“Here agribusiness discusses the false solutions of capitalism. We are here to support food sovereignty. The people are only sovereign when they produce their food with their seeds and free of pesticides” said Dilei, activist of the Movement of Landless Workers (MST) in Paraíba.

Via Campesina proposes, instead of agribusiness, food sovereignty, with decent conditions for the peasants to produce healthy food and public policies that encourage family farming and respect traditional knowledge and nature.

June 22, 2012