WUNRN
ARGENTINA
Via WIDE - Women in Development
Europe Network
Globalizing Gender Equality &
Social Justice
WIDE Stories of Women's Empowerment
WIDE Website Link - Case Studies
including:
A case study from Latin America: The Movement of Agricultural
Women in Struggle (MMAL) in Argentina
Direct Link to Argentina Story:
LUCY - SMALL FARMER - ARGENTINA
PAMPA (Central-Eastern Farming Area of
Argentina) -
About 60 Years Old - Four Daughters
Lucy's story is of debts incurred by
small and medium scale farmers in Argentina in the 1990's. During this decade,
small and medium scale rural producers were affected by the process of
"modernization" implanted by the neoliberal model. This was the central
issue around which the Movement of Agricultural Women in Struggle (MMAL) was
initially organized. In additional to tackling the issue of farmers' debt, the
MMAL was also critical of the political system and banking sector. Its first
collective action began in May 1995 when Lucy de Cornelis receifved
announcement that her family farm was about to be auctioned. Lucy was convinced
that her family's debt was unjust.
Lucy and colleagues went to the
village radio station, and to newspapers, to say that MMAL was going to have an
assembly of 350 women from different parts of the province. They told their
story, sang the national anthem, and prayed. These peaceful obstructionist
methods were an innovation compared to previous forms of struggle.
The pressure imposed by the MMAL
over the banking system provoked the banks to extend payment deadlines, and
therefore to stop the immediate threat of auctions.
The MMAL's actions have made the
farmers' common economic situation visible, and have made it possible to create
innovative and effective ways for improvement.
Although the movement's concrete
achievements so far are limited, the social and political process of creating a
solidarity network that connects the local with the national and global, has
been the main factor in the MMAL women's empowerment.
FULL STORY:
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