Will El Salvador Soon Be In the News?

On the morning of Friday, May 6th, President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador's left-wing FMLN party arrived at the La Maroma agricultural cooperative in the department of Usulután for a potentially historic meeting with hundreds of small family farmers. Usulután has often been referred to as the country's breadbasket for its fertile soil and capacity for agricultural production, making it one of the most strategic and violent battleground zones during El Salvador's twelve-year civil war between the US-supported government and the FMLN guerrilla movement.

Once again, Usulután has entered the spotlight for its agricultural reputation. The FMLN, which initially formed around an ideology of national liberation from US hegemony, has now adopted the goal of "food sovereignty," the idea that countries hold the right to define their own agricultural policies, rather than being subject to the whims of international market forces. On Friday, officials representing the Ministry of Agriculture and the local governorship accompanied President Funes in inaugurating a new plan aimed at reactivating the country's historically ignored rural economy and reversing El Salvador's growing dependence on imported grains.

The opening ceremony for the new plan was hosted by the Mangrove Association, a non-governmental organization established by members of a grassroots social movement called La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa y Bahia de Jiquilisco (known locally as La Coordinadora), which has been supporting initiatives for food security and environmental sustainability in Usulután for over 15 years. Over the last three months, the Ministry of Agriculture has been working closely with the Mangrove Association and other campesino organizations to develop what may represent the new program's greatest break from past governments' agricultural policies: a goal that by 2014 all corn and bean seeds needed for agriculture be produced by Salvadoran farmers, rather than purchased from multinational seed companies, namely Monsanto, as has been the case in recent years.

With ongoing support from the U.S.-based NGO EcoViva, La Coordinadora and the Mangrove Association have been working since the mid-1990s to promote diversified, sustainable agriculture for small family farmers in Usulután as a means for reducing hunger and building a strong rural economy. According to official figures, almost 95% of fruit and vegetables consumed in El Salvador are imported from abroad, along with 30% of all its beans and 40% of corn. Meanwhile, non-commercial small family farmers are said to produce up to 70% of the basic grains that are cultivated domestically, mostly for their own families' consumption, making them particularly important for El Salvador's food security.
~ from El Salvadoran Government and Social Movements Say No to Monsanto by Carlos Martinez ~

In all honesty, before reading The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, I wouldn't have thought too much about this article. My reaction would have been, "Good for them" and then I wouldn't have thought much else.

I certainly would have realized that Corporate America -- particularly the agri-business sector -- would not be pleased with such an initiative, but I don't think I would have expected much to come from it.

My opinion has changed drastically since reading Klein's book. Now, El Salvador will be on my radar. If this movement takes hold and looks like it will come to fruition, I expect to see a negative scenario play out in the US mainstream press.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least for President Obama or other government leaders to badmouth El Salvador and warn Americans that it has been taken over by thugs who are attempting to thwart democracy.

It won't surprise me at all to learn that the CIA is working with opposition groups to try to overthrow the democratically-elected government.

You see, the hegemony of powerful corporations must be protected at all costs. We certainly don't want to see them take a hit to their bottom line. If our government sat idly by and allowed El Salvadoran farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices, wealthy corporations like Monsanto might lose some of their market share. Far worse, other countries might follow El Salvador's lead!

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. We can't have that! So, we should nip these efforts in the bud. If they won't play the game by our rules voluntarily, then we will cram those rules down their frigging throats.

Hey, it's the [capitalistic] American way!