Parks, gardens, green spaces... Mexico has been sown with traditional maize.  On 5 August, farmers’ associations and Mexican artists showed their disapproval to government policy.  This campaign in favour of food sovereignty and the renewal of the Mexican countryside started in 2007. The campaign’s slogan: Sin maís no hay país [1]. The FDC (Frente Democrático Campesino) [2] explains: ‘this campaign is a reaction to the country’s current system, whereby Mexican farmers are exported [3] and the food this very labour partly produces is imported back.’

The citizens’ civil disobedience 

Founded in 1987, the FDC today numbers more than 4000 members. José Emiliano Garcia is one of their main directors. He denounces the fact that the Mexican maize and bean market is controlled by five big firms such as Monsanto, Cargill, and Dupont who fix prices and speculate on the fluctuations of ‘green gold.’  For example, the price of tortilla, an important part of the Mexican diet, has increased by 41.6% this year.  When Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, president of Mexico, visited Chihuahua last March, Emiliano was imprisoned on charges of sabotage, only to be released one week later. This is recent proof of the importance of FDC’s fight and of strained political context after the elections in December 2006 [4].

	One of the first demonstrations in the campaign Sin maiz no hay pais / © cadenaser

The demonstration on 5 August was organised by very famous artists like Angelica Aragon, Cecelia Suarez, Miguel Rodarte or Juan Manuel Bernal, and took place in front of Mexico’s Supreme Court. The demonstration had people participate in sowing maize. One of the primary goals of these innovative actions is to raise awareness and bring the obstacles faced by small farmers and Native American populations to urban areas. It is important to note that Mexican society is one-third rural and that half of the native population suffers from malnutrition and anemia. 

A Movement that brings together urban and rural 

This demonstration does not signify a migration from the countryside to the cities, but it serves as a reminder. Without the countryside and without farmers, who’s who will feed the cities?  This is a strong message public parks will never replace the fields! Juan Banuelos [5] even adds: ‘without maize and without peace in Chiapas, there will never be democracy in Mexico.’ The FDC, along with other groups united on this platform, go beyond criticizing the government, and strive to propose solutions to counter the small producers’ total dependence on the market. One of the principal demands is removing maize and beans from the North American Free Trade Treaty of 1994, which cost the Mexican rural sector the loss of two million jobs.  This campaign also calls for implementing a means of protecting the genetic heritage of the different kinds of Mexican maize by making them part of the world heritage of humanity.

The banners raised during this demonstration displayed slogans without ambiguity: ‘Outlaw genetically modified maize in Mexico and fight aganist all forms of monopoly.’  The farmers want the possibility to choose what they cultivate, as well as getting rid of monopolies on maize and price speculation.  The FDC encourages everyone to act now by planting maize in public places, by promoting a public awareness campaign about the maize problem through concerts and demonstrations, and by supporting farmers and natives in their fight. According to Laura Becerra Pozos, in the magazine Futuros, the FDC strives ‘to politicize social capital in Mexican society, which means educating citizens to be conscious and demanding of their rights and to participate in public affairs.’