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Food First: Daily Updates from WSSD 2002

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August 30, 2002

Plans Afoot to Promote GM Food to Poor

The public-private partnerships promoted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development are being used to tout genetically manipulated (GM) foods. The controversy over the safety of GM foods has been heightened by Zambia's rejection of U.S. food aid, which contained GM maize.

One such example of this public private partnership is Croplife, a plant science-based industry organization that includes Monsanto and Syngenta, which will run an email education system for agricultural professionals who will pass on the results to small farmers around the world.

Speaking today at the World Sustainability Hearings, Percy Schmeiser, the 71-year-old Canadian farmer sued by Monsanto for patent infringement when his field was contaminated by genetic pollution from a neighbor's field, pleaded to the world community to take action now. His powerful testimony showed how our national and international food security and food sovereignty is at risk as a few corporations take control of our food system. Moved by his testimony, several observers demanded that this crime against humanity should be taken to the International Criminal Court so farmers could sustain their livelihoods.

Unfortunately, rich country governments have abdicated their responsibility to their food producers. The United States is shamelessly pushing GM crops all over the world at the WSSD, even as African countries refuse its GM-contaminated food aid.

Week of the Landless, 27 August-1 September

While the rich gather in fancy Standton Convention Center for the official summit and official delegates sleep in top hotels with tight security, landless peoples organizations are holding their own summit in the run-down venue of Shareworld where the delegates sleep in an open hall. According to the landless activists, the secretary general of the world summit, Nitin Desai, has not even recognized the landless as a major group at the summit, making promises of sustainability and poverty eradication,"mere lip service."

Shareworld is such a contrast to the Standton Convention Center. This is where representatives from the National Land Committee, MST (Movement of the Landless Workers, Brazil), Via Campesina (Worlds largest peasant organization) and other international organizations are holding a protest summit denouncing the hollow notion of sustainable development without land.

But the South African government wants to hide this summit from the world. Speaking at the march last Saturday to demand the release of 72 arrested activists of the Landless Peoples Movement (LPM), activist Trevor Ngwane from the Anti-Privatization Forum said, "Unless the South African government recognizes the rights of he LPM, and quickly, South Africa would stand on the brink of its second struggle."

Their venue, Shareworld, symbolizes the insecurity the landless face and is in sharp contrast to the glitter and glamour of Standton. The week of the landless is the focal point of a growing international and national land struggle. The members of the summit have faced constant harassment from the intelligence service who have been monitoring their movements and declaring their struggles violent.

Yesterday, social movements around the world came together to celebrate the International Landless People's Assembly. Demand for ending poverty and providing food, land and jobs for all was the battle cry. Amidst cries of Phansi (down with) Privatization, World Bank, WTO, the main chant was the landless have landed.

The landless movement will join the Social Movements Indaba (SMI) on August 31 in their march from Alexandra township to Standton Center where the rich and powereful are meeting. Their joint demand is Land and Liberty: Jobs and Justice!

Anuradha Mittal
Johannesburg