Agrifood Atlas – Facts and figures about the corporations that control what we eat

La lista de las 500 empresas con mayor volumen de negocios, dedican parte importante de sus actividades a empresas de producción agrícola y de alimentación. La tendencia se dirige hacia una mayor concentración de poder. Las corporaciones agroalimentarias están conduciendo la industrialización a lo largo de toda la cadena de valor, de la granja al plato. Sus políticas de compra venta promueven un formato de agricultura centrado en la productividad. La disputa por la entrada al mercado es a expensas de los eslabones más débiles de la cadena: agricultores y trabajadores.

Un número creciente de personas se está organizando y cambiando sus hábitos de consumo para restablecer la diversidad en la cadena de valor. Ahora, eso no es suficiente como para terminar con el hambre y la pobreza o proteger el medio ambiente. La retirada del Estado de la intervención en las economías, es una de las principales causas del colosal daño ambiental y climático y de injusticia global que vemos en el presente. Ya es tiempo de establecer una regulación social y política de la industria agroalimentaria. El Atlas Agroalimentario entrega hechos y explica cómo y por qué debemos tomar un camino hacia una industria agrícola y alimentaria socioecológicamente sustentable.

The Agrifood Atlas es publicado en conjunto por la Fundación Heinrich Böll, la Fundación Rosa Luxemburgo y Amigos de la Tierra Europa.

Índice:

• Imprint
• Introduction
• Index
• The corporations mentioned in the Agrifood Atlas
  
   
• History: Supersize me
  
  Wether protectionism or deregulation – the agrifood industry keeps growing. Mergers are making firms bigger all the way along the value chain.
  
   
• Mergers: One group to rule them all
  
  A single private equity firm, 3G Capital from Brazil, controls some of the world's biggest food and beverage corporations. The company's aggressive takeover strategy is just the tip of the iceberg.
  
   
• Plantations: Modern-day landowners
  
  New corporations have emerged that buy or lease vast areas of farmland in developing countires. They grow monocultures to feed the industralized agriculture.
  
   
• Agricultural technology: Digital manoeuvres – when tractors go online
  
  Precision farming promises to revolutionize farm management. But it will only benefit large landholdings and capital-intensive agro enterprises.
  
   
• Fertilizers: Chemicals for the soil
  
  Synthetic fertilizers increase agriculture's productivity, but do not improve soil quality. Manufacturers want to sell more – despite the high energy and environmental costs.
  
   
• Seed and pesticides: From seven to four – growing by shrinking
  
  Mergers galore: Bayer wants to buy Monsanto and become the world's largest producer of seeds and agrochemicals. All top rivaling companies are pairing up.
  
   
• Animal genetics: In the beginning was the patent
  
  Genetically modified livestock are prone to disease and are difficult to market. But many labels are developing methods to further industrialize animal production.
  
   
• Crop genetics: Juggling genes
  
  In the coming years, seed companies plan to use genome editing to produce crops with new characteristics – and market them without having to state that they are "genetically modified".
  
   
• Commodities: Agricultural traders' second harvest
  
  Four Western corporations dominate the global trade of agricultural products. Now a Chinese firm has joined them.
  
   
• Manufacturers: Brands dominating marktes
  
  Fifty manufacturers account 50 percent of global food sales in the industry. The big companies are growing fastest and are rapidly increasing their market share.
  
   
• Retailing: Expanding aisles
  
  Food shoppers in the developed world let the cash registers ring at the likes of Wal-Mart, Lidl, Carrefour and Tesco. The supermarket revolution is now expanding throughout the developing world.
  
   
• Feeding the world: Chemical sprays, but hunger stays
  
  Industry says it can feed the world. But total food production is not the issue; access to food is. The key solution is to fight poverty.
  
   
• Meat: Herd instinct
  
  They are largely unknown to the public, but they dominate the world’s meat supplies. Much of the beef, pork and chicken we eat is controlled by just a handful of big firms.
  
   
• Alternatives: Looking for a new way
  
  Agroecology is a successful concept which promotes farming methods that are attuned to local ecosystems. It is already used for growing rice worldwide.
  
   
• Capital markets: Investors care about growth – not about the growers
  
  Speculators are increasingly placing their bets on agriculture. Capital flows into stock exchanges are exacerbating price fluctuations in agricultural commodities – to the benefit of funds and banks.
  
   
• Working conditions: Pile it high, sell it cheap
  
  Labels on supermarket packaging trumpet all kinds of concerns for people and nature. But most have little impact on the miserable conditions endured by farm and plantation workers.
  
   
• World trade: In control, not under control
  
  International trade deals reflect the interests of the industry. Agrifood corporations want to keep a grip on the steering wheel.
  
   
• EU Lobbying: Big business in Brussels
  
  The crowds of industry lobbyists trying to infl uence European Union policy often find they are pushing at an open door. They combine legitimate lobbying with underhand methods such as hiring government insiders and publishing quasi-scientific studies. The EU must recognize such tactics for what they are.
  
   
• China: Public and private companies are reaching out
  
  The world’s new economic powerhouse is located in China. Its land investments in Africa and Latin America have attracted headlines, but Southeast Asia is where it is making its influence most felt.
  
   
• Rules: Market power and human rights
  
  Again and again, corporations fail to respect human rights. Voluntary measures are not enough: we need binding rules.
  
   
• Resistance: Protests, boycotts and resistance
  
  In many countries, people are resisting agrarian and trade policies that boost the power of the multinationals. Individual companies also come in for criticism.
  
   
• Authors and sources for data and graphics