Carmelo on Occupy Monsanto

Occupy Monsanto goes to the home of Monsanto

Carmelo Ruiz Marrero

In the city of St. Louis, there is no one who does not have a friend, relative or neighbor working at Monsanto. This city on the banks of the Mississippi river has the doubtful honor of hosting the world headquarters of the Monsanto corporation. Founded in 1901, it was one of the world's leading chemical companies in the twentieth century. At the start of this century it transformed itself into a biotechnology giant, or as the company likes to put it, "a leader in the life sciences industry". Nowadays, Monsanto is the world's largest seed company (global market share: 27%) and owns over four fifths of the planet's genetically modified (GM) seed.

Monsanto is therefore the very embodiment of the biotech-agricultural-industrial complex, the company has worked very hard to earn that distinction. That also means that it symbolizes everything that is wrong with the food system.

Monday September 17 was the Occupy Monsanto campaign's international day of actions against the corporation (1). Concerned citizens all over the world were called upon to carry out protest actions at the Monsanto facility nearest to them. Groups as far away as Chile and Argentina picketed Monsanto offices and circulated photos of their actions on social media. 

That day I was, of all places, in St. Louis picketing the company headquarters' main entrance. I was accompanied by dozens of local activists plus some who came from as far away as Chicago and the San Francisco bay area.

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