Immigration From Paraguay

During the Stroessner dictatorship, thousands of Paraguayans went to Argentina. Also, thousands of Paraguayans went to the United States and there is a huge community in New York City. In 1979 around 11,000 Paraguayans came to the United States. Alost of these came for political reasons (Stroessner) but many were young people in search of job or study opportunities. There is also a large Paraguayan community in Brazil.

In recent times, nothing is changing for the normal or poor people of Paraugay. The president before Lugo was a Colorado named Nicanor Duarte. During his presidency (2003-08) there was a little bit of growth that reached 6.8% in 2007 but this was largely due to soybean agriculture and exportation expansion and meat production, (Nickson, 2008).

Because most of the land is privately owned, normal people or poor farmers see very little or nothing of this small economic growth, this is well explained with, “However this faster economic growth was built on one of the most unequal structures of land tenure in the Americas and so its benefits were captured by a small elite of soybean farmers, cattle-ranchers and corrupt politicians." The National Statistical Office reports that 35.6% of the 6.2 million Paraguayans were still living in poverty in 2007 and Paraguayans living in extreme poverty has increased from 15.5% in 2005 to 19.4% in 2007.

When it seems that it is a time of small growth or optimism, there are mass migrations from Paraguay. The value of exports has gone from US$1 billion in 2005 to US$3 billion in 2007. Because people in the country, especially young people and rural people in 2002 the mass migration started. There were around 100,000 Paraguayans living in Spain in 2007 with only 11,000 being there legally.

Soy Farming

Soy has become the biggest cultivated crop in Paraguay. The soy boom started in the 1980s when Stroessner was still in power.

Before the soy boom, Paraguayan farmers grew a variety of crops and raised livestock for self sustenance and also to sell. They did not make much money but were in most cases at least able to feed themselves (usually not in an adequate manner). This is especially in the eastern region of the country were most of the population lives. This practice also kept the biodiversity of the region from being wiped out because farmers used fruit trees that were native to the region.

Today, roughly about five percent of the eastern forests remains and what can be seen is a sea of short green plants. These are the soybean plants. Industrial farmers, with many coming from Brazil, have been buying up the land for very cheap prices. In many cases farmers have been bullied, threatened or violence has been used against them. Many times these farmers are in debt and have to grow soy for loans. Also, the soy boom has not only evicted thousands of farmers, it has also displaced many indigenous communities.

Because the farming of soy is highly mechanized, many of those farmers who stayed behind to work have lost their jobs.

Soy has made the overall revenue of the country increase. There is a very large demand for soy worldwide and Paraguay has become a top worldwide producer. This growth in Paraguay reached 6.8% in 2007. But, because of the level of corruption in Paraguay, soy farmer do not observe the laws. For example they may use dangerous pesticides that can go into nearby communities.

But, the National Statistical Office reports that 35.6% of the 6.2 million Paraguayans were still living in povert in 2007 and Paraguayans living in extreme poverty has increased from 15.5% in 2005 to 19.4% in 2007.

Before, farmers were able to eat what they grew. But now with the soybean boom, they can no longer do that and they cannot grow livestock. Instead now they have to buy for most of their necessities.

Even though many of their leaders have been assassinated, Paraguayan farmers have become more organized. With the election of Fernando Lugo as president, there is hope among farmers because Lugo stated he would try to start a land reform. This will be very hard because so much of the land is privately owned and also because the corrupt Colorado Party machine is still intact. In Paraguay roughly one percent of the population owns 80 percent of the land.

Sources:

Cooperation as Rebellion: Creating Sustainable Agriculture in Paraguay

Paraguay: A Shift to the Left Under Lugo?

Paraguay (from global forest coallition)

Deforestation In Paraguay

Deforestation in Paraguay is an example of the destruction of the environment that goes on in most developing countries that through wanting to industrialize or because of lack of laws or resources and the will to implement them. Deforestation is a huge problem that has already taken away a big chunk of the country’s forests. There are no exact rates of deforestation in Paraguay, but the Secretariat of the Environment estimates that it is around 130,000 hectares a year.

Paraguay is separated into two regions, the eastern or Oriental Region that has 39 percent of the territory and 97 percent of the population and the western or Chaco Region that has 61 percent of the country’s surface but only 3 percent of the population. The east and west regions of Paraguay are divided by the Paraguay River and there is only about two percent of forest land left in the eastern region due to the expansion of soybean cultivation, cattle ranching and logging.

The destruction of Paraguayan forests is due to the cattle industry, soy farming and logging. There is a big issue with loggers coming in from Brazil and cutting down trees and taking them back to their country as raw materials. So, not only does Paraguay lose its forests but many times the country can not even profit from them. There is also the issue that only only a few hands own a great majority of the land and these hands only look to profit from the land. The model for development in Paraguay is, as in most of the world, an unsustainable model of progress.

Paraguay has a long history or even culture of corruption. This corruption is in all levels of government, from national to local. The Colorado Party has had a huge part in this. Because of this anyone who has the money and means to pay off authorities can do whatever he or she wants. And this includes the destruction of the Paraguayan ecosystem.

Almost all of the Paraguayan countryside is privately owned. Some of the primary responsible parties for all of the deforestation are private parties and the government that lets them do whatever they want. During the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner large sections of land were given to his friends and supporters (who were mostly all military generals). This has been passed down until today when few families own a lot of the land.

Paraguay has recently put into action a Zero Deforestation Law for the eastern region (or Upper Parana) of the country. “Before Paraguay's Zero Deforestation Law came into force in December 2004, the South American nation had the second highest deforestation rate in the world” (WWF, 2006).But, the destructive cattle ranchers and loggers are moving into the western region of the country. The Zero Deforestation Law expired at the end of 2008 but luckily it was renewed for another five years. But the western forests also need to be protected.

More sources:

WWF Paraguay

Interesting article on deforestation and indigenous peoples in Paraguay

Fernando Lugo

Fernando Lugo is a former Roman Catholic bishop who became the first non-colorado president of Paraguay in more than 60 years. The colorados had been ruling the country (and very badly) since 1947. Lugo lead a coallition of opposition political parties called the Patriotic Alliance for Change. He was alliade with the Liberal Party which is the second biggest party in Paraguay. This gave him a big push in his victory over the colorados. The 57 year old Lugo assumed office August 15, 2008 and his running mate and vice president is Federico Franco (who belongs to the Libertal Party).

Lugo was born in 1951 and became a priest in 1977. He was a missionary in Ecuador for five years. In 1992 Lugo was appointed head of the Divine Word order of Paraguay and two years later he was made a bishop. Lugo went on the serve ten years in the poor region of San Pedro, were he came to be known as the "bishop of the poor." Lugo has been highly influenced by the "liberation theology."

Lugo started gaining more national and even international attention when he helped organize and lead a big opposition rally in March 2006. Since the Paraguayan constitution prohibits ministers of any faith in becoming political candidates, Lugo resigned from the Catholic Church in December of 2006. The Vatican at first was undecided as to accepting his resignition or not and suspended him from his duties instead. In July, 2008 the Pope Benedict XVI decided to grant Lugo's request and remove his clerical status.

Lugo won with 41 percent of the vote while Blanca Ovelar, the Colorado Party candidate, recieved 31 percent of the vote. Lugo is preaching land reform and also renogotiaions of the treaties for both the Itaipu and Yacyreta dams (which Stroessner and previous colorado governments handled disastreoulsy).

The election of Lugo was an event of great joy for most paraguayans. Even many colorados voted for him because they were sick of all the corruption and poverty that the Colorado Party brought to the country. Sadly the Colorado Party is making things almost impossible for President Lugo. Every initiative and proposale is rejected and fought by the colorados. There are even splits in his own movement and this especially comes from the Liberal Party. Even his vice president has been making unfavorable comments on Lugo. Hopefully for those of us that want an equal and prosperous Paraguay, Lugo will be able to pull ahead with his plans.



More sources:

Intersting article on Lugo in New York Times

The Yacyreta Dam

The Yacyreta dam is a hydroelectric plant (that is still being built) between Paraguay and Argentina. It is on the Parana River and next to the Paraguayan city of Ayolas and the Argentinian city of Ituzaingó.

Composed of 20 turbines, the dam is 808 metres long. It has a power of 4,050 MW that can produce 19,080 GWh per year.

Often called a "monument to corruption," the dam project was established by the Argentinian Peronist government in 1973. Dictator Alfredo Stroessner was in power in Paraguay at that time.

After ten years of being stalled, construction started in 1983. The project has cost around $10 billion when it was expected to cost around $2.6 billion. The World Bank (which provided loans for the project) estimates that the Yacyreta dam could, up to date, be a loss of $11 billion. The dam started generating energy in 1994 and parts were still being finished in 2008.

The construction and flooding caused by the dam have affected tens of thousands of people in the surrounding areas. The Yacyreta dam has also affected the surrounding wildlife. Sadly through all of this the dam is still not functioning at full capacity because water levels are not high enough. The artificial raise of water levels has affected even more people.

The dam powers about 20 percent of Argentina and Paraguay sells its surplus energy to Brazil (at very low prices).

More Sources:

Article on Yacyreta and the World Bank

Article on Yacyreta, Corruption and the World Bank

Yacyreta Binacional in Bussiness News Americas

The Itaipu Dam

The Itaipu hydroelectric power plant is the biggest of its kind in the world. Situated on the Parana River (the seventh largest river in the world) it was a joint construction venture between Paraguay and Brazil. It is run by the Itaipu Binacional company.

The ministers of foreign affairs of both Paraguay and Brazil signed the “Act of Iguaçu” in 1966, which began the studies of the hydroelectric potential of the Parana River. Construction started in 1975 and the last remaining expansions ended in 1991. The Itaipu Dam has 20 generators that produce 14,000 MW (megawatts). Around four million people resettled due the the construction of the dam and the construction of the dam also produced much environmental turmoil for the area.

The Itaipu dam is 7,919 meters long and has a maximum height of 196 meters. During the construction of the dam, approximately 50 million tons of rock and earth to dig a 1.3 mile bypass. This bypass shifted the course of the Parana River.

The Itaipu dam and surrounding area is a major tourist attraction. Since its completion in 1991, more than nine millions tourists have visited the dam.

The Itaipu dam negotiations and treated were enacted during the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner in Paraguay. The dam produces about 90 percent of the energy that Paraguay needs and 20 percent of the energy Brazil needs. For this reason only one generator is usually used for Paraguay. The enery that the rest of the nine generators (the Paraguayan half) produce, is sold to Brazil.

Thanks to these negotiations by Stroessner, the Brazilians receive a very generous, and unfair (for the Paraguayans) price for the surplus energy. In Paraguay, electricity is redicuosly expensive for such a poor country with two dams (the other being the Yacyreta dam). I speak this with personal experience since I lived there. Thanks to the corruption of the Stroessner dictatorship, and colorado governments that came after, we pay alot for electricity when it should be next to free.


More sources:
More facts on the Itaipu dam and its construction

Some more facts

Another website with facts

Itaipu dam on Encyclopedia Britannica

The Colorado Party

The Colorado Party was funded in 1887 by Bernardino Caballero and has its headquarters in Asuncion (the capital). The Colorado Party has been in power from 1876 to 1904 and from 1948 to 2008. From 1947 to 1962 all other political parties were considered illegal.

The Colorado Party (Asociacion Nacional Republicana or National Republican Association) are right wing conservatives. They are called colorados because of their red flag. The party has always been characterized by corruption, violence and the traffic of favors.

Until recently it was required to be a member of the Colorado Party if you wanted free medical care, job security or promotions and other services. The Colorado Party controlled (and in many cases still does) the whole public sector of the Paraguayan government (national and local). Through this Paraguay has always been characterized as one of the most (if not the most) corrupt country in the world. The Colorado Party also served as one of support systems for the bloody dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner (the other being the military).

During election times after the dictatorship the Colorado Party has always resorted to fraud and violence to obtain victory. But, because the Colorado Party controls the public government system it is the greater employer. That is why it always has alot of popular support. Thankfully for those of us that want a more equal Paraguay, the Colorado Party was defeated on election day (April 20, 2008) by Fernando Lugo. Lugo lead a coallition of opposing political parties.

More sources:

Interesting article on Paraguay and the Colorado Party...

Another one...

Interesting article on Stroessner, the Colorado Party and torture used...

Alfredo Stroessner

Alfredo Stroessner was one the longest running dictators the world had ever seen. He ruled Paraguay with an iron fist from 1954 to 1989. Born on November 3, 1912, Stroessner joined the army at 17 years of age. He was named commander and chief of the armed forces in 1951 and led the coup that overthrew President Federico Chavez in 1954. Stroessner became president that same year.

Stroessner belonged to the Colorado Party that had been ruling since 1948 (and would continue to rule until 2006).

Stroessner himself was overthrown in 1989 Gen. Andres Rodriguez who had most of the country’s popular support at that time. Exiled in Brazil, Stroessner died in 2006 a very rich man.

During his regime, thousands of people were tortured and murdered. These people usually belonged to opposition parties or were socialists. One method of murder used was throwing people off planes.

Abundance and riches for those around him (usually army generals) also characterized Stroessner’s reign. The rest of the country lived in poverty.

Very good article on Stroessner...

Interesting article on Andres Rodriguez...