Argentina, "a nation that became known for its grass-fed cattle has been transformed since 1996, when the Monsanto company, based in Saint Louis, Missouri, convinced Argentina that the adoption of its seeds and patented chemicals would increase harvests and reduce the use of pesticides. Today, the entire soybean harvest and almost all the production of corn and cotton are genetically modified.
Soybean cultivation areas tripled and now cover 19 million hectares. The change in the way of producing, frankly, has changed the profile of diseases, said Medardo Ávila Vásquez, pediatrician and co-founder of Doctors of Fumigated Towns, part of a growing movement that demands the application of safe rules in agriculture. It made us lose a pretty healthy population. Now we see a population with high rates of cancer, children born with malformations and diseases that were very infrequent. "
