Farmers

Four years ago, Andrew Meeks literally bet the farm on chickens. Now he fears he made a losing bet. His three massive chicken houses are empty, and a "For Sale" sign has sprouted out front. Meeks, a contract chicken farmer, borrowed nearly half a million dollars to refurbish his 25-acre farm, putting up as collateral his home, the farm and virtually everything else he owns. But the company that provided his chickens and paid him to raise the birds canceled his contract.

Peruvian farmers upset over a free trade deal with the United States blocked rail service to the famous Inca ruins at Machu Picchu and paralyzed vast swaths of the Andean country by halting traffic on key highways. The protests stranded thousands of travelers, including about 400 people who were stuck on the train to the ancient Incan citadel, Peru's top tourist attraction. The Pan-American highway, the major road on the Peruvian coast, was blocked north and south of the capital, Lima, travelers and police said.

The Communist Party approved rural reforms aimed at unleashing the economic power of hundreds of millions of farmers as China looks to home markets as a bulwark against the global financial crisis. The party said it aims to double the annual income of farmers, currently about $590 per person, over the next 12 years. State media reports before a four-day meeting said the Central Committee would review an amendment to give 750 million rural dwellers more freedom to lease or transfer their land, but the final statement did not mention the issue.

More than 160 farmers were arrested when they blocked a key highway and clashed with police in a protest to demand that Congress pass a law to ease their debts, Nicaraguan police said. About 2,000 growers blocked a section of the Pan-American Highway late Monday about 20 miles from the capital. Police spokeswoman Vilma Reyes said 167 people were arrested. Two police officers and one farmer were injured before police reopened the highway, she said. The farmers were pushing a proposal they presented to Congress late in 2008 that would allow them to temporarily suspend debt payments.

James Hatano looks across the floor of the sprawling Southern California Flower Market and acknowledges that he is one of the last links to a bygone age of flower selling in Los Angeles. Hatano, 81, grows poppies, sunflowers, baby's breath and delphiniums on a small rented farm in Rancho Palos Verdes and sells them from a stall at the market. Recalling fondly how Japanese farmers founded the market in 1913, he can't miss the stunning transformation around him.

Perched on less than an acre of land off an unpaved road in a hardscrabble rural area, farmer Gumercindo Ajanel would hardly seem like a Wal-Mart regular. But in fact, he's working for the American retail giant. On a recent morning, he proudly displayed fresh-picked cilantro and parsley he ships to the chain's local stores. A company agronomist taught him to grow greens that are hygienic and visually appealing. Best of all, he said, Wal-Mart buys frequently and pays promptly.

An atmosphere of crisis and tumbling confidence has enveloped Argentina after five years of political stability and robust economic growth. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is facing a rancorous farm revolt in one of the world's major grain- and beef-producing nations. Growers on Saturday ended their fourth strike this year, but the battle rages on more than 100 days after it erupted when the government imposed new tariffs on farmers selling grain abroad.

The ancient chestnut horse, Ginger, stands on the veranda near the farmhouse door, waiting for a treat. But the old farmer and his wife do not come. The farm dogs leap like dancers, extravagantly pleased to have visitors. The cats bask in the sun. Four red hens peck busily in the flower beds. The garden is alive with bird chatter. But the house stands silent and empty.

Before dawn each day, Gao Penghong and his wife join scores of other farmers in this dairy-rich village who must walk their cows to a local milk collection station because of new safety requirements. A byproduct of China's deadly tainted-milk scandal, the mile-long walks to the station come as officials push for more critical supervision of dairy farmers. Only weeks ago, farmers were free to milk their cows at home and deliver the product in heavy metal containers.

A funny thing happened on the way to the Third Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee, where China's Communist Party leaders were expected to finally enact a bold land reform program allowing farmers eventually to buy, sell or lease their fields. Coverage of reform issues had been stepped up in the official press. And President Hu Jintao made a high-profile trip to rural Anhui province, where state media said he told farmers that they would be able to transfer their land rights.