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Monday, July 6, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
PERU: Highlands Families Work to Save Their Birthright – the Potato
A plate of parboiled potatoes of various sizes, shapes and colours welcomes the visitor to Huama, a town in the southern Peruvian Andes, at an altitude of 4,500 metres.
Saving the Potato in the Peruvian Highlands
A handful of Peruvian families are working to preserve 200 varieties of potato in the Andean highlands, where this crucial crop was domesticated eight thousand years ago.
PERU: Preserving the Potato in Its Birthplace
Thousands of varieties of potato (Solanum tuberosum), one of the most widely-eaten and well-known foods in the world, have been developed in the heart of South America’s Andes mountains, where the crop was domesticated more than 8,000 years ago.
ENVIRONMENT-PERU: US-Owned Smelter Fined for Pollution
The U.S. company running a large multi-metal smelter in the Peruvian city of La Oroya, one of the most polluted places on earth, is facing sanctions for violating air quality standards.PERU: Fiscal Decentralisation Could Fuel Inequality, Say Analysts
Regional governments in Peru are pressing for a fiscal decentralisation process that would give them greater autonomy in collecting taxes and boost their share of revenue, especially in mining and agricultural export regions.PERU: Mine Opponents Face Lawsuit Based on Press Clippings
Local activists and politicians in the northern Peruvian region of Piura who are facing charges of terrorism and extortion because of their activism to oppose mining investment projects supported by the government say the only evidence against them are photocopies of newspaper articles.
ENVIRONMENT-PERU: In Search of Less Toxic Mining
The Peruvian government is seeking to reduce the maximum allowable emissions of pollutants by the mining industry, but the proposed limits are still a long way from meeting international standards.PERU: New Environment Ministry Born With Congenital Defects
The Peruvian government has announced that it will create an Environment Ministry by decree this week, without going through the process of a debate in civil society, Congress and regional governments. Critics say the new ministry will lack decision-making powers in key areas.
In Search of Not-So-Toxic Mining
The decision of the Peruvian government to limit polluting emissions from the mining industry -- the engine of national economic growth -- is seen by health experts as a tepid effort.
PERU: The Price of Mining Competitiveness
Peru has climbed from the 52nd to the 28th position in an international study on competitiveness in the global mining industry, surpassing Brazil, Argentina, Russia, South Africa and Bolivia. But how much is the local population in mineral-rich zones benefiting from the growth in competitiveness, and how does this phenomenon impact the environment?ENVIRONMENT-PERU: Three Weeks to Create a Ministry
A team of experts appointed by the government of Peruvian President Alan García was given three weeks to complete a proposal to create an Environment Ministry.ENVIRONMENT-PERU: “For Sale” Signs in Amazon Jungle
The Peruvian Congress plans this week to debate a draft law pushed by the government that would authorise the sale of vast tracts of deforested, uncultivated land in the Amazon jungle to private companies that invest in "reforestation" efforts.PERU: Government Generosity Swells Mining Company Profits
The Peruvian government saw its tax revenues shrink by nearly 2.7 billion dollars in 2006 and 2007 as a result of a decision not to charge mining companies royalties or a tax on windfall profits generated by the current high prices, according to a civil society umbrella group.
PERU: Logging Firm Accused of Using Workers’ Identities for Tax Fraud
Impoverished local residents of the Amazon jungle town of Orellana in Peru have filed a complaint against a logging company for using their identity documents to commit tax fraud in illegal timber sales worth more than 200,000 dollars.
PERU: Intercultural University Scores Poorly on Equality
Peru’s only intercultural university was established in the country’s Amazon jungle region to provide higher education for indigenous people, thanks to a concerted struggle by native leaders. Yet only 40 percent of the students are actually from indigenous communities, while the majority are "mestizos" (people of mixed-race) from urban areas.PERU: Opening Up Indigenous Land to Foreign Investors
Peruvian President Alan García plans to introduce in Congress a draft law that would facilitate the purchase by foreign investors of communally owned land in rural indigenous villages.ENVIRONMENT-PERU: A (Toxic) River Runs Through It
The Mantaro river basin, one of the main water sources in Peru’s central Andes mountains, is a dump for toxic substances, according to an independent scientific study. Lead levels, for instance, are 180 times higher than those accepted by the World Health Organisation (WHO).PERU: Disappointing Talks on Mining Miss the Point
Peruvian Prime Minister Jorge del Castillo signed a memorandum of understanding with mayors and governors opposed to the Majaz mining company’s Río Blanco project, which the people of the Piura highlands in northern Peru have been opposing for five years.RIGHTS: Peruvian Government Accused of Poor Track Record
The Peruvian government will be asked to explain Friday to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) decrees that human rights groups say are aimed at clamping down on social protest, and what it has done to protect the rights of uncontacted indigenous peoples.ENVIRONMENT-PERU: Joining Forces to Save the Mantaro River
Social organisations in Peru have joined forces to save the Mantaro river, which is being killed by pesticides, untreated sewage, and the waste products dumped by the mining industry.PERU: New Census to Make Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Count
The Peruvian state will repay a longstanding debt to indigenous people in the country’s Amazon region by including them in a national census in a way that pays attention to their particular social, economic and cultural characteristics. But experts say this is only a first step.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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