Greenpeace congratulated Brazilian soya traders today for helping to protect the Amazon and reduce global climate change by extending for another year a moratorium on buying soya from newly deforested areas. 

Read the article here

Soy Barometer 2009

Anno 2008 en 2009 deed hij vanuit deze boeken en enkele DVDMs een tournee in Brazilië: langs tal van universiteiten, landbouwscholen, boerenorganisaties, pastorale groeperingen, etc. In dialoog met honderden Brazilianen en vanuit impressies tijdens deze twee tournees schreef hij zijn nieuwste boek. De universiteit van Matinhos (deelstaat Paraná) animeerde vanuit de teksten twee maand lang kinderen en volwassenen uit arme gemeenschappen. Na discussie maakten ze tekeningen, die het boek nu illustreren. 

‘Brazilië-Europa in fragmenten?’, 136 pp. met illustraties van kinderen uit Matinhos; in veelkleurendruk, Wervel-Brussel, 2010. 12 euro; info@wervel.be ; www.wervel.be

Voor Nederland: www.werelddelen.nl

Het boek verschijnt gelijktijdig in Brazilië (Portugees).

In the Amazon the soy fields are expanding and pushing the cattle raising further into the rainforest. The Swedwatch report investigates Swedish import companies’ responsibility in an industry involving social and environmental risks. 

Cattle raising and soybean cultivation are the two most important sources of Amazon deforestation in Brazil.  The soy and meat imported by Sweden and other countries has a hidden price which the report “The more soy and meat the less rainforest” aims to highlight. The production often violates both Brazilian legislation and international conventions on environmental and human rights. The livelihoods of some populations are threatened due to polluted waters and lack of land for family farming. This report also demonstrates that our consumption patterns have devastating impacts on both the cerrado and the Amazon. 

Executive Summary Report: The more soy and cattle meat, the less rainforest

Uit onderzoek in opdracht van 10 Nederlandse ontwikkelings- en milieuorganisaties blijkt dat er in 2008 slechts 4 % verantwoorde soja in Nederland werd verwerkt, geconsumeerd of verhandeld. De sojabarometer 2009, een initiatief van de Nederlandse sojacoalitie, geeft dat aan.

Naar aanleiding van de sojabarometer 2009, roept de Nederlandse sojacoalitie de supermarkten, de voedingsmiddelenindustrie en haar toeleveranciers op urgent woorden om te zetten in concrete daden. Dit met op korte termijn als doel een substantiële toename van verantwoorde soja in haar producten. De sojabarometer wordt over 2 jaar weer uitgebracht. De Nederlandse sojacoalitie dringt aan op een aanzienlijk hogere score.

Sojabarometer 2009

Achtergrondrapport Sojabarometer 2009

Killing Fields

For more information on the Dutch campaign (in Dutch)

Het is 2020. Het Nederlandse melkveebedrijf heeft gemiddeld ongeveer 150 melkkoeien. Het voer voor de koeien wordt zoveel mogelijk op het eigen bedrijf geteeld; gras, maar ook eiwitrijke producten/krachtvoervervangers als erwten en bonen. Maar helaas is het eigen bedrijf niet groot genoeg om geheel zelfvoorzienend te zijn. Er wordt ook krachtvoer aangekocht. Dit krachtvoer bevat een grote hoeveelheid verschillende grondstoffen, maar soja zit er niet in. De veevoederindustrie koopt haar producten zoveel mogelijk ‘regionaal’ in, d.w.z. in West- en Oost-Europa. Hoe zijn we hier gekomen?

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POLITICAL CAFE – THE SAFE HEAVEN

Soy, sugar and wood - the Netherlands and Brazil are riding the wave. Thousands of ships transport millions of tons of merchandise from the Amazon to Rotterdam harbor every year. The Rio Madeira basin, one of the main waterways in the Brazilian rainforest, is threatening to become overwhelmed by the large roads, big dams, and new ports and polluting factories. This infrastructure is intended to stimulate export, but economic development here is fast becoming completely out of balance with social and ecological integrity. As a major trading partner of Brazil, what can the Netherlands do?

The Rio Madeira is the second longest tributary of the Amazon. The river reaches deep into the virgin rainforest. With its supply of fertile silt, fish and water, the river is an important food source to the people. Practices like damming and increasing the depth of the river has resulted in the flooding of thousands of people’s homes and the eradication of most of their food sources. Opening up the area around the river has also facilitated in the loss of precious rainforest. The development of infrastructure along the Rio Madeira will undoubtedly cause damage to the social, ecological and cultural heritage of Brazil and neighbouring countries such as Bolivia and Peru.

International export is of great importance for Brazil’s economic development. But to what extent does the local population benefit from the construction of hundreds of large dams in the Amazon? And, will the Amazon’s unique ecosystems be protected?

The Dutch government likes to talk about sustainability. But is it also walking the walk? Far-reaching (trade) agreements relating to water, biofuels and port logistics exist between the Netherlands and Brazil. The Netherlands is an important trading partner for Brazil. Given its important trade position, the Netherlands should take responsibility and exert influence on Brazilian policy. How could the Netherlands work towards building a sustainable path to economic development? Join us in a debate.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
17h30 - 19h30
Het Nutshuis,
Riviervismarkt 5, The Hague
Netherlands

Café Político – O Porto Seguro

Soja, açúcar e madeira – Holanda e Brasil assumem a linha de frente. Milhares de navios transportam milhões de toneladas de mercadorias desde a Amazônia ao Porto de Roterdã todos os anos. A Bacia do Rio Madeira, uma das principais vias aquáticas da selva Amazônica brasileira, é ameaçada pela invasão de grandes rodovias, represas, portos e indústrias. Investimentos em infra-estrutura, justificados pelo tão necessário crescimento econômico, baseado na exportação de recursos naturais, deixam de lado questões sociais e ambientais. Um dos principairs parceiros comerciais, qual é o papel da Holanda nesse cenário?

O Rio Madeira é o segundo maior tributário do Rio Amazonas, alcançando áreas isoladas da floresta virgem. Sua riqueza em recursos naturais garante a sobrevivência das populações ribeirinhas.

A construção de barragens, alterando o curso e volume da bacia, tem provocado consequências desastrosas na vida de milhares de pessoas, que além de terem suas casas inundadas, sofrem com a escassez de alimentos. Os efeitos da construção de barragens não param por aí: a perda em biodiversidade é também incalculável.

A implementação de projetos de infra-estrutura ao longo do Rio Madeira provocará indubitável prejuízo não só à herança cultural, social e ecológica da Amazônia Brasileira, mas também de países vizinhos, como Bolívia e Peru.

A exportação, estimulada por tais projetos, representa grande crescimento econômico para o Brasil. Mas até que ponto os benéficios dessas atividades são repassados para as comunidades afetadas? Quais as consequências para a proteção da biodiversidade amazônica? Quais medidas estão sendo tomadas para preservá-la?

A Holanda afirma prezar pela sustentabilidade. Mas qual é o real sentido desse discurso? Grandes acordos comerciais entre Holanda e Brasil estão vinculados à água, biocombustíveis e logística portuária. Assim, dada a sua importância como grande parceiro comercial do Brasil, é de se esperar que a Holanda assuma responsibilidade e exerça certa influência na política brasileira também em direção ao comércio sustentável.

Como a Holanda poderá desenvolver esse trabalho, trazendo sustentabilidade para dentro de suas relações comerciais com o Brasil?

É sobre isso que vamos debater em Haia, no dia 30 de Setembro. Esperamos poder contar com a sua participação!

Quarta-feira, 30 de Setembro de 2009
De 17h30 às 19:30
Local: Het Nutshuis
Endereço: Riviervismarkt 5, Haia, Holanda

The GM Soy Debate is an initiative by Solidaridad and WWF Netherlands, and is supported by the Development Policy Review Network (DPRN), Solidaridad, WWF Netherlands and the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM). The project is run by Plant Research International B.V. (Wageningen University and Research Centre) and Aidenvironment. For further information on the GM Soy Debate initiative, please visit the project’s website: gmsoydebate.global-connections.nl/ or contact the facilitator of the project by e-mail: gmsoydebate@global-connections.nl

For maximum outreach to all relevant stakeholders, this publication is available in [English] [Spanish] and [Portuguese].

Cattle ranching is the biggest driver of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, accounting for about 80 percent of new clearing, but the industry is now under pressure to follow the lead of soy producers. Already Marfrig, the world’s fourth largest beef trader, has said it will no longer buy beef produced on newly deforested lands, while other buyers are showing interest in an emerging certification scheme that would ensure beef comes from responsibly managed ranches. Certification standards are also being developed for the soy industry.

[more information]

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