Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
also testimonies of airplanes spraying houses directly. The contamination of water
sources, as mentioned above, is having a far-reahing efect on both livelihoods and
health in the countryside.
Since many countryside dwellers collect rain water from their rooftops, agro-
hemicals make their way into drinking water supplies, contaminating them and af-
fecting people's health. Rural shools are no exception. In some parts of the province,
where soybeans cultivation is prevalent, there are shools completely surrounded by
ields of soybeans and the hildren who atend them drink storm water collected
from the roofs of their classrooms. It is a somewhat dramatic depiction of the cur-
rent proliferation of modern agriculture in northern Argentina, but that is reality for
many rural dwellers.
There are regulations in place that prohibit spraying from the air in proximity to
people's houses but, as hinted above, the authorities do not necessarily act to enforce
them. This is a key limiting factor on efforts to limit the proliferation of the agricul-
ture frontier and its associated costs. Namely, laws that are designed to protect the
people and the environment exist but enforcement is nominal. Without the work of
diverse peasant organizations and civil groups, this situation would be even worse.
The inevitable ramification of this reality is that owners of large farms can expect
few, or no, consequences for breahing laws and regulations, especially in remote
areas.
Campesino definitions of poverty
A noteworthy aspect of the contesting of soyization in Santiago del Estero is the lak
of direct association with food security among the
campesinos.
Notwithstanding the
hallenges of production mentioned by members of the MOCASE-VC as having a
significant effect on their livelihoods - including the harsh climatic conditions and
recent droughts as well as the soybeans and agrohemicals - virtually no one re-
ferred to either food insecurity or shortage. While conversing one night with a mem-
ber of MOCASE-VC, he asked if there are poor people in Navé's country. This ques-
tion led to a discussion on what defines poverty and who is poor. Navé then asked if
he was poor and he responded 'well, no'. He then explained that he has a roof over
his head and is not worried about the next meal; his animals and produce provide
him with most of the food he consumes. This is not an unusual response regarding
notions of who is poor and what constitutes poverty. Food insecurity is definitely as-
sociated with poverty and some argued that one would find it in urban slums but not
