protecting local varieties for family
farms
friends of the earth uruguay
In Uruguay, the neoliberal economic
policies imposed over the last decades have
promoted an agricultural model that favors
food imports over locally and nationally
grown crops. The impacts for family farms
have been devastating, with land being
bought up by large companies and farmers
losing their livelihoods. The end result
has been a food crisis of proportions
previously unknown in Uruguay, with
children being the most visibly
affected.
One consequence of these trends has been
a severe loss in the local crop varieties
that form the basis of small-scale
production, like butter beans and other
horticultural crops. In response, Friends
of the Earth Uruguay is working with the
Uruguayan Association of Organic Farmers
(APODU) to identify and multiply common
varieties and to reintroduce local
varieties that are in danger of
disappearing. The program also has an urban
component in which the seeds are
distributed to community gardens, and the
general public is informed about the
ecological, economic and social importance
of local varieties and sustainable
agriculture production systems.
Simultaneously, Friends of the Earth
Uruguay is working to promote policies
towards food sovereignty in Uruguay,
together with allies like the farm workers
unions and the Network of Rural Women.
These policies deal with issues such as
access to land; the right of small family
farmers to produce food; local and national
markets; fair prices; access to food; and
women’s rights. Several studies that have
been conducted as the basis for the
proposed policies show that Uruguay, a
country of 3 million people, has the
potential to sustainably produce food for
nearly five times as many people.
