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- To: hanzibra@svn.com.br
- Subject: Fwd: MAI
- From: Minifarms@aol.com
- Date: Tue, 9 Jun 1998 14:24:18 EDT
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- To: hanzibro@svn.com.br, KSRuralCtr@aol.com
- Subject: MAI
- From: Minifarms@aol.com
- Date: Tue, 9 Jun 1998 09:09:51 EDT
The Multilateral Agreement on Investment The world’s riches countries wrote this agreement but it will affect farmers all over the world. Governments protect what is important in their country, including its people, culture and land but that they may not be able to do this any longer because of the MAI. The MAI is a set of rules for international investment written by a group of industrialized countries who belong to the OECD. They have not yet agreed on the final version but it may become law in 1998. The MAI will give international investors [the multinational corporations? KH] rights and freedoms that cannot be limited by governments. For example, governments will not be able to place special conditions on foreign investors such as restricting their investments in agriculture or other important sectors. The MAI states that companies can sue governments that make these kinds of conditions. The MAI would override voluntary agreements such as those agreed upon at the Earth Summit in 1992. If the MAI is passed, countries will not be able to stop a large company from cutting down rainforest to make furniture for people in rich countries. They will not be able to stop companies from buying up farmland and planting crops to sell in rich countries. Farming in developing countries might become more like farming in industrialized countries. That means large farms. That means using expensive machinery, synthetic fertilizers and chemicals and growing high-yielding crops to be sold overseas. As the amount of exported food increases, local people may find it difficult to get the food they want to eat. Countries would be increasingly dependent on large companies to distribute food. Farmers all over the world would be directly competing with each other. Small-scale farmers who cannot compete could go bankrupt and their governments would be powerless to help. Many individuals and organizations all over the world are fighting against the MAI and similar laws. Groups of farmers in many countries have organized to fight international trade and investment agreements that hurt farmers in poor countries. 200,000 farmers marched in India. Find out what organizations are fighting the MAI in your country. Your voice and your actions, together with those of your neighbors and farmers everywhere, can make a difference. DCFRN dcfrn@web.net-- END included message
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