The world according to Monsanto : pollution, corruption, and

in argentina: the soybeans of hunger 261for vegetable proteins, including soy cakes. The price of soybeans reachedhistoric highs, bringing about a rush on the new green gold in the pampas.“Thanks to the soybean boom I was able to survive the crisis,” he went on.“Everything was done to spare the producers. While interest rates were skyrocketing,we could get Monsanto’s package and not pay for it until after theharvest.”In 2001, Argentina was at the brink of bankruptcy. The government ofFernando de la Rúa was forced to resign under popular pressure. Whilepiqueteros—strikers in revolt—ruled the streets, poverty took hold all overthe country, where 45 percent of the population was living below the povertyline. Strangled by a colossal external debt, the governments of EduardoDuhalde and then Néstor Kirchner used soybeans as a life preserver. “It’s theengine of our economy,” according to Campos. “The state collects a 20 percenttax on the oil and 23 percent on the seeds, which amounts to $10 billion[annually], 30 percent of the national currency. Without soybeans, thecountry would simply have gone under.”Soybeans Take Over the CountryThe Argentine crisis was a boon for Monsanto that exceeded its wildestdreams. RR soybeans spread from the pampas like wildfire, steadily headingnorth into the provinces of Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Salta, and Formosa.Covering only 90,000 acres in 1971, soybeans spread over 20 million acresin 2000, 24 million in 2001, 29 million in 2002, and reached more than 39million acres in 2007, accounting for 60 percent of the cultivated land. Thephenomenon was so striking that there was talk of the sojisación of the country,a neologism designating a profound reordering of the agricultural worldwhose disastrous effects soon became apparent.At first, although the crisis had crippled the national economy, the priceof land skyrocketed, because it had become a safe investment providing significantquick profits. “In my area,” Héctor Barchetta told me, “the price ofan acre went from $800 to $3,000. The weakest producers ended up sellingout, which brought about a concentration of landholdings.” In the course ofa decade, the average size of farms on the pampas increased from 617 to1,328 acres and the number of farms was reduced by 30 percent. Accordingto an agricultural census conducted by the National Institute of Statistics