An opportunity to hear from other people in agricultural regions about the impact of the so-called "free trade" policy from someone other than a paid US lobbyist or paid US politician, and an opportunity to "Take a deeper look at the effects of NAFTA, including resistance to genetically modified GMO corn, the impact of migration on sending communities, and the struggle for food security in Oaxaca’s indigenous communities." Presented by Witness for Peace
2009 Spring Speaker Tour
NAFTA Turns 15: A Look at Free Trade, Food Security and Migration in Oaxaca, Mexico
Baldemar Mendoza Jimenez is the coordinator of the agro-ecology program for UNOSJO (the Union of Organizations of the Sierra Juarez, Oaxaca). Sr. Mendoza is an expert on food sovereignty issues and the impacts of free trade agreements on indigenous farmers from Oaxaca. UNOSJO is an indigenous organization that works with indigenous communities and organizations in the Zapotec region of the Sierra Juárez, located in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. UNOSJO has denounced the contamination of native corn in Oaxaca by genetically-modified (GMO) corn and is a leader within Oaxaca on food security issues. Their efforts also focus on women’s issues, indigenous rights, and organic coffee production.
Sr. Mendoza will speak about the impacts of NAFTA on indigenous communities in Oaxaca, including:
- The affects of GMO corn contamination on native corn production
- How increased rates of migration from the region have affected communities in the Sierra Juarez
- UNOSJO’s process of regaining food sovereignty within indigenous communities
Tour Schedule
* please check back for schedule updates
Sunday, April 5: Hillsboro, OR
12pm, Hillsboro United Methodist Church
168 NE 8th Ave, Hillsboro, Event Flyer
Saturday, April 11: Woodburn, OR
Monday, April 13: Eugene, OR
7pm, UO Law School, Room 175
15th and Agate St., Eugene
Tuesday, April 14: Salem, OR
2:30pm, 209 Eaton Hall
Willamette University, Event Flyer
5:30pm, First Congregational UCC
700 Marion St NE, Salem, Event Flyer
Wednesday, April 15: Albany and Corvallis, OR
10 am, OSU, Rogers 230
Corvallis, OR, Event Flyer
12pm, Linn Benton Community College
CC 103, Albany, OR, Event Flyer
7pm, First United Methodist Church
1165 NW Monroe, Martha Room, Corvallis, Event Flyer
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