Thousands of Argentine farmers blocked highways on May 8 to protest increased taxes on soy, a major export crop. The farmers had struck in March, halting shipments of grain throughout the country and presenting the center-left government of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner with its biggest challenge since she took office in December. The new protests come after a 30-day truce failed to produce an agreement. Farmers said they planned eight days of protests; if these produce no results, they may continue the actions past May 15. Argentina is one of the world's major soy exporters, and the Chicago commodity exchange responded to the renewed strike with a rise in soy prices. (La Jornada, May 9 from Reuters)

From Weekly News Update on the Americas, May 11

See our last posts on Argentina and the peak food crisis.