On the edge of a farm here, Rogelio Silva, a peasant organizer, looked out over the half-dozen tents where his Paraguayan compatriots were cooking soup over a campfire. Near the roadside, two banners tied between trees expressed a common sentiment in Paraguay’s agricultural heartland these days.
“Get out, Brazilians,” one read.
“Land or death,” read another.
Peasant farmers, emboldened by the election of Fernando Lugo as president in April, have been invading dozens of farms along the border with Brazil. They say that Paraguayan land is being occupied illegally by Brazilian farmers, and that corrupt officials have allowed these outsiders to acquire land for decades.Full_Story