Paraguay: stop press

Melanie Kramers

08 March 2011

I'm in Paraguay and things are not what they seem. The traditional Paraguayan 'soup' turns out to be corn bread. Journeys described as taking just an hour or so stretch out into epic road trips. And a capital city that's eerily quiet when we arrive bursts into a cacophony of beeping drivers and touting street vendors the next day.

I'm here to show the Daily Telegraph's environment correspondent the devastating impact of intensive soy farming. Soy grown in Paraguay becomes feed to fatten up animals in British factory farms. As part of Friends of the Earth's Fix the Food Chain Campaign we're investigating the hidden link between the food on our plates and health problems and deforestation in South America.

Our enthusiastic Friends of the Earth Paraguay hosts are taking us on a whistle-stop tour of the countryside, pointing out areas that were dense forest until the recent explosion of soy plantations. We're travelling vast distances, occasionally screeching to a halt to snap the moving shots of a lonely church in a huge field of soy or a sunset silhouette of looming agricultural warehouses.

We're meeting medical experts and scientists, but the saddest part is hearing people who've suffered from exposure to chemicals used on soy tell their stories. Bumping along potholed dirt tracks to visit poor rural communities makes you realise how vulnerable they are - it's a very long way to a doctor. I've learned that hundreds of cases go unreported, which makes the bravery of those who do speak out even more remarkable.  
 
Petrona Villaboas's 11-year-old son was killed after being sprayed with pesticide. I can't imagine how she feels as she relives the awful experience in an interview. She's an impressive woman - fighting to make sure the farmers convicted of the illegal spraying serve their sentence.
 
Meeting indigenous communities adds extra challenges. There's a double translation - from native language Guaraní to Spanish then English - and the need to pay our respects to the chief. In the nick of time, we realise that what looks like a shady hut is actually a church and walking in without being invited would cause offence. A Paraguayan colleague accidentally picks up the village healer's magic staff - but luckily this faux pas is forgiven.
 
We make a detour to drop in to an agricultural fair full of wealthy landowners preaching the benefits of GM soy. It's an unlikely event for environmental campaigners - but a great interview opportunity for the Telegraph.
 
Dishevelled and dusty, we've made it back to the capital Asuncion. Tomorrow we'll get the chance to ask Government ministers about what we've seen and heard. Paraguay is a complicated country - but I feel like I'm beginning to understand it.

Melanie Kramers, Communications and Media Team