Alcira and Jose Luis back in their land in the area known as Represa Morales, close to Villa de Soto, talked about their father and first resident of those fields. Don Amadeo Godoy, illiterate and victim of the unscrupulous lawyers could pass the love for land and the peasant life on to them.

This struggle dates back to 40 years ago, since a (http://www.radiomundoreal.fm/Robo-a-letra-armada) land owner from the area, “Maruco” Gómez proclaimed hismelf the “owner” of the fields which subsoil has large amounts of “Red Prince” granite. While the new ’owner’ estimates how profitable the exploitation of the mineral will be, the Godoys are resisting.

Their cattle and goats know nothing about mining, they prefer the grass. A lawyer appears in the scene. He deceives Amadeo by allying with the land grabbers and auctioning part of the land.

However, the mother of the Godoys did not sign, so the assignment of rights is null. Amadeos’ children peacefully, but firmly prevented the access to the land and are later accused by the lawyer interested in their subsoil wealth.

The situation was finally decided in favor of the peasants. This goes to show the precarious situation of peasant land ownership. These families are cornered in the North of Cordoba by the growing soy monoculture coming from Buenos Aires and Santa Fe.

Real World Radio interviewed Ramiro Fresneda, member of the legal team of the Cordoba Peasant Movement, member of the National Peasant Movement of Argentina, Via Campesina, about the background and consequences of this case.

The lawyer said “This ruling is encouraging because it acquits the accused of the charges of the purported crime of violating an official act. It ends up shedding a light of hope on a general context where the Judiciary usually ends up favoring the consolidation of a model of farming without farmers and to strengthen the so called green deserts of GM soy, by undermining the right to food sovereignty”.