October 7, 2008

After years of education, advocacy, training and a struggle with the Argentina government, the indigenous Guarani people of the Gran Chaco region recently won the legal right to thousands of acres oftheir traditional land. They are not alone in the struggle to reclaim the ancestral land that forms the basis for their survival and prosperity:

Across the Chaco, in Bolivia and Paraguay, Church World Service also is assisting indigenous people in land claims advocacy and supporting projects focused on water resources, better ways of raising small livestock, and sustainable agriculture projects.

These indigenous communities are collaborating across borders to organize and learn together how to navigate their countries' laws.

But the path to land rights is a long row to hoe.

In Bolivia, where Evo Morales, the Andean nation's first indigenous president, is confronting a political crisis and right-wing opposition to a proposed new constitution under which land and wealth redistribution would benefit Bolivia's indigenous majority instead of a landowning elite, Guarani people of Tarija are urging passage of the new constitution and an end to the violence that has killed dozens of indigenous people.

Traditional Paraguay groups waiting for years

In Paraguay, Church World Service's Martin Coria says, "Some indigenous people have not found justice and must sue their government in an international tribunal."

Sixty-five landless families of that country's indigenous Sanapan community have been waiting to recover 24,710 acres of ancestral lands for over 20 years. "Their case is now in the last court of appeals possible, the Inter American Human Rights Court," Coria said.

For years, 50 landless families of the Enxet-Sur people have claimed 25,451 acres. The Paraguayan government agreed to buy the land back from the current owner, but despite the fact that the funds for the land purchase were included in an appropriations bill, the land titling hasn't happened. With technical and legal support from CWS, the Enxet-Sur community is pressing the government to fulfill the demand.

Land rights needed to offset Big Agri threats to locals' food security

Unequivocal land rights may be the litmus test for food security for Guarani and other Chaco indigenous groups as well, as agri-multinationals buy up land.

In eastern Paraguay, farmers once raised a variety of livestock and grew diverse crops mixed with shade and fruit trees in the Interior Atlantic Forest region. Today, less than eight percent of the forest remains. The land looks like a rolling green plain, as Brazil's industrial farmers who have locked arms with agri-multinationals buy up eastern Paraguayan lands piece by piece, convincing farmers to grow monoculture crops such as soy, corn and cotton for export.

HOW TO HELP: Those who wish to support the rights and food security of Gran Chaco's indigenous communities may contribute to Church World Service online, by phone (800-297-1516), or by mail to to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515; or for more information call toll free 800-297-1516.

Media Contact: Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net