A country for sale: Paraguay, Land of Extractivism

Abandoned dwelling on deforested lands. Photo: Sandino Flecha

Located in the heart of South America, Paraguay is a landlocked country, rich in biodiversity and water resources, but with one of the highest socioeconomic inequalities in the world, and large areas of its territory are being deforested.

At the center of the dispute is land possession, with a high concentration of power and wealth in the hands of an elite. Monocultures, along with the production of beef and charcoal for export, are the main cause of persistent deforestation and the expulsion of peasant and indigenous communities from their territories.

Lots of soybeans, not enough food

The concentration of land directly impacts the right to food. Of the 6 million hectares dedicated to crops, only 6% is destined for food production, while the remaining 94% is occupied by industrial export crops.

It is to fight against these realities that the Heñói Seed Network and the Centro de Estudios Heñói were born, working with campesino and indigenous organizations. It began as a network of farmers, activists and researchers dedicated to strengthening democratic participation, human rights, and socio-environmental sustainability.

The Heñói Seed Network is an operational and political network of seed producers, which unites traditional producers involved in the rescue and promotion of native seeds.

Access the publications of the Heñói Centro de Estudios.

THESE ARE NOT FORESTS: The arbaro fund and monoculture tree plantations in Paraguay

Producing fuel for other people’s planes: A case study on the Omega Green Biofuel refinery in Paraguay

Map of False Solutions to the Climate Crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean

Alfonso Maidana, producer and guardian of native seeds in Itapúa. Photo: Sandino Flecha

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