“The technology and applied science has not been able to overcome the hunger that affects a high percentage of the humanity. Neither in the 70s, with the Green Revolution, nor now with the liberalization of the agriculture and food markets. The solution will be provided by peasant agriculture”, said Strapazzon.

Strappazzon is participating in the Forum Peoples’ Sovereignty Now! in Rome, which is taking place in the square outside the headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The old tools

The member of the Argentinean peasant movement also reflects about the action carried out by the FAO’s Director General, Jacques Diouff during the Food Summit by starting a symbolic fast for considering the fight against world hunger has failed.

“We congratulate and endorse this gesture of commitment and in fact many of our peasant movements have used fasting to expose the problems we suffer”, he said.

In turn, he exposed a group of countries led by the G8, which seek to confront hunger with the “old tools” such as the World Bank, the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund. They are overlooking the fact that they signed an agreement a month ago saying the Food Security Committee should implement new policies to fight hunger”.

500,000 peasants back in the countryside

The peasant leader also spoke about the role of the Argentinean government in the national debate on the food crisis. He talked about the relation between Cristina Fernandez administration after the visit of the Minister of Agriculture, Julian Dominguez, to Quimili town, where MOCASE was founded.

Strappazzon mentioned the role played by Argentinean ambassador in Rome, Carmen Squeff, who “led the reform of the Food Security Committee through which for the first time the social movements have several places to participate in”.

He also said the meeting with the Minister in one of Mocase’s offices will have real meaning if they manage to implement the program of peasant agriculture restitution in all the territory proposed by Mocase.

“In this program we proposed the return of 500,000 families to the countryside in the next 5 years through a serious program”.

Photo: http://peoplesforum2009.foodsovereignty.org