Soluciones falsas, ganancias reales: Las tácticas del agronegocio al descubierto

The report critiques the industrial agribusiness model, describing it as a network of transnational companies and financial institutions that prioritize profit and scale over environmental and social health. It argues that the industry employs 'false solutions'—market-based mechanisms and corporate-led certifications—to avoid genuine regulation and maintain control over the global food system. The document highlights specific examples, including the failure of RSPO certifications in Indonesia and the impact of no-till farming in Argentina, to demonstrate how these tactics often exacerbate deforestation and undermine small-scale producers.

• The industrial agribusiness model is characterized by the production of 'agrocommodities'—standardized products for export produced through intensive large-scale farming, toxic chemicals, and low-paid labor.
• Corporate 'false solutions' are designed to protect economic interests and perpetuate the neoliberal agenda through 'corporate capture,' which allows companies to control decision-making and governance processes.
• Sustainability certifications, such as those from the RSPO, often act as a substitute for genuine government regulation and can mask ongoing environmental destruction.
• In Indonesia, deforestation has continued despite the implementation of RSPO certifications; research shows that 78% of certified plantations in Indonesia and Malaysian Borneo were located in areas deforested in the last 30 years.
• The concept of 'sustainable intensification' is criticized as a false narrative that claims to increase productivity to protect forests, but in reality, it often leads to 'intensification traps' and increased corporate control over seeds and chemicals.
• Regenerative agriculture is presented as a tool for the commodification of carbon, allowing companies to generate carbon offsets to sell in markets while continuing to emit greenhouse gases.
• In Argentina, the adoption of no-till farming (siembra directa) and transgenic soy led to the displacement of small-scale farmers and a massive increase in pesticide use, which rose from 1 kg/ha in 1990 to nearly 6 kg/ha in 2021.
• The report identifies a trend where the responsibility for sustainability is shifted from the production model to the individual consumer through voluntary certifications.
• Large agribusiness companies use 'multi-stakeholder governance' to replace state-led multilateralism, allowing corporations to have equal decision-making power to governments and affected communities despite vast disparities in power.

APA

Marentes, C., Mariën, N., & Chandrasekaran, K. (2024). Soluciones falsas, ganancias reales: Las tácticas del agronegocio al descubierto. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/FOEI_The-Agribusiness-model_SP.pdf

Chicago

Marentes, Carlos, Nele Mariën, and Kirtana Chandrasekaran. Soluciones falsas, ganancias reales: Las tácticas del agronegocio al descubierto. Friends of the Earth International, 2024. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/FOEI_The-Agribusiness-model_SP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Marentes |first1=Carlos |last2=Mariën |first2=Nele |last3=Chandrasekaran |first3=Kirtana |title=Soluciones falsas, ganancias reales: Las tácticas del agronegocio al descubierto |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=March 2024 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/FOEI_The-Agribusiness-model_SP.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{marentes2024soluciones, author = {Marentes, Carlos and Mariën, Nele and Chandrasekaran, Kirtana}, title = {{Soluciones falsas, ganancias reales: Las tácticas del agronegocio al descubierto}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/FOEI_The-Agribusiness-model_SP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }