Via-info-en February 2015

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Mali: "Agroecology is in our hands! We are building it further together!" - Opening of the International Agroecology Forum
by La Vía Campesina 25 Feb '15

25 Feb '15

MALI: ‘’AGROECOLOGY IS IN OUR HANDS! WE ARE BUILDING IT FURTHER TOGETHER!” - OPENING OF THE INTERNATIONAL AGROECOLOGY FORUM [1] Published on Wednesday, 25 February 2015 06:24 [2]Sélingué, 24 February 2015 - Today, the sun has risen brighter then ever in Mali to warm the more than 250 delegates of the first International Forum on Agroecology hosted by Confederation of Peasants Organizations [3]of Mali (CNOP) and La Via Campesina [4], at the Nyéléni Center in Sélingué, south Mali. They are women and men, from diverse constituencies, among them farmers, fisherfolks, indigenous people, pastoralists and urban _consumers_ from all corners of the world, arrived to the center in buses from Bamako and other regions of Mali. "I decided to come here because we are building a necessary movement, that will claim back what was always ours: our peasant knowledge of doing agriculture ", said a woman farmer from Mali, as she was running to attend the women caucus, this afternoon. Over the next four days, the women and men of the conference will debate, share experiences and celebrate agroecology with the view to reinforcing a common vision and principles, as well as deciding on a common strategy to claim back the concept of agroecology, "beyond just the scientific aspect, to encompass its social, economic and political elements", as Gilberto Schneider, from the Movimento dos Pequenos Agricultores [3] (MPA) in Brazil, pointed out. The Forum opened with a warm welcome to the participants by Ibrahima Coulibaly, the president of the CNOP, who explained the reason why such a forum was taking place now. According to Coulibaly, in spite of agroecology now being mentioned everywhere, it is necessary to question who really are at the center of agroecology. "We are talking about small scale food producers, peasants, fisherfolk, pastoralists, we are who feed the world population. It is we who are the real heroes of the agroecology. It is we that should have a voice", he said. Maria Noel, from Movimiento Agroecológico de America Latina y el Caribe [5] (MAELA) in Uruguay, said that agroecology has been practiced for centuries and it represents more than just a system of production. She explained that it was a way of being, a way of life, which respects the environment and provides a livelihood and income to the majority of food producers and fisherfolk on the planet. "We have to make sure that this concept is not captured by corporates", she said. In fact, the industrial agriculture system based on heavy use of harsh chemicals, which destroys both soils and forests, depletes resources, and affects the health and wellbeing of both small holders and consumers, is being systematically favoured by governments, which serve the interests of multinationals and enact free trade policies dictated by international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF. As Ibrahima Coulibaly stated: ''Humanity went too far, when we thought that we should put the economy before all. This has weakened the world, made it more vulnerable and resulted in climatic change: extreme weather, droughts, and severe water shortages", he said. Participants of the first Agroecology forum have a common understanding that the only way to save the planet for future generations is to practice a virtuous agriculture. Thus, people must stand together as one, and this is possible because "we are the majority. If we say no to industrial agriculture, it will be no!", stressed Coulibaly. Andrea Ferrante from the Italian Association of Biological Farmers [6] (AIAB) and La Via Campesina reiterated: "we are the answer. The answer to feed the world lies with agroecology. We want a model that is based on our knowledge, our way of living, not on petrol and fake answers from the industrial world. We look at the future of our children". The link between rural and urban actors has also being highlighted through a need to connect responsible consumption and production, in strong local and regional food systems based on agroecology. It is not possible to have food sovereignty, the respect of peoples right to culturally appropriate and healthy food, without agroecology,'' said Ferrante. _By Communication team of the International Forum On Agroecology_ See also: Mali: La Via Campesina and allies host an International Agroecology Forum to address Food Sovereignty [7] TO INTERVIEW REPRESENTATIVES OF THE DIVERSE CONSTITUENCIES AT THE FORUM PLEASE CONTAC Boaventura Monjane: +223 92 71 90 14 (Local mobile phone) or boa.monjane(a)gmail.com | boa.monjane(a)viacampesina.org Links: ------ [1] http://www.viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/sustainabl… [2] http://www.viacampesina.org/en/images/mali-agroecology.jpg [3] http://www.mpabrasil.org.br/ [4] http://viacampesina.org [5] http://maela-agroecologia.org/ [6] http://www.aiab.it/ [7] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/sustainable-pe…

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Fwd: Re: Mali: La Via Campesina and allies host an International Agroecology Forum to address Food Sovereignty
by La Vía Campesina 22 Feb '15

22 Feb '15

FYI -------- Original Message -------- SUBJECT: Re: [Info EN] Mali: La Via Campesina and allies host an International Agroecology Forum to address Food Sovereignty DATE: 2015-02-19 19:52 FROM: Cieas Organization <cieas2009(a)yahoo.com> TO: "viacampesina(a)viacampesina.org" <viacampesina(a)viacampesina.org> Dear Viacampesina I hope This Will Find you Well Thank You for the infomation of Bamako It was a very interesting Especial this focus to famers We have interest to participate To mali plaese can we participate All thore we Request Resoucies to suport us Thank you very much we look Foward To Hear from you With ReGards Solomon B Hlophe Esaff Swaziland/ Cieas Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android [1] ------------------------- FROM: La Vía Campesina <via-info-en(a)viacampesina.org>; TO: via info en <via-info-en(a)viacampesina.org>; SUBJECT: [Info EN] Mali: La Via Campesina and allies host an International Agroecology Forum to address Food Sovereignty SENT: Thu, Feb 19, 2015 4:09:35 PM MALI: LA VIA CAMPESINA AND ALLIES HOST AN INTERNATIONAL AGROECOLOGY FORUM TO ADDRESS FOOD SOVEREIGNTY [2] Published on Thursday, 19 February 2015 22:18 MEDIA ADVISORY |LA VIA CAMPESINA [3](Bamako, 19 February 2015) - More than 200 delegates, among them peasants, family farmers, fisher folk, pastoralists, indigenous peoples, agricultural workers, consumers, urban poor organizations, NGOs, academics and other social movements will be at the Nyéléni Centre in Mali from 24 to 27 February, to take part in the first International Forum on Agroecology. This forum takes places at a time where the world is facing economic crisis, the climate is changing, and the Mother Earth is being aggressively exploited by the corporate model of death and land grabbing. According to La Via Campesina [4], agroecology is essential to humanity, since it builds autonomy and a better life for small scale food producers, produces more healthy food, provides a strong base for food sovereignty, and allows rural peoples to live in harmony with and take care of our Mother Earth. Peasant and small scale food producers' agroecology is considered to be the model of life, of farms with farmers, of food producers with productive resources, of rural communities with families, of countryside with trees and forests. According to Ibrahim Coulibaly, a leader of the National Coordination of Peasants Organizations [5] (CNOP) in Mali, "this forum will bring practical responses, that will lead to concrete solutions on how agroecology can save the planet from hunger and climate change". Together with La Via Campesina, organizations such as More and Better (MaB), Movimiento Agroecológico de América Latina y el Caribe (MAELA), Réseau des organisations paysannes et de producteurs de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (ROPPA), World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fishworkers (WFF), World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP) and World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Peoples (WAMIP) are co-organizers of the forum. The Mali forum aims at exchanging local knowledge and know-how of farmers, sharing the innovations of peasants and small scale food producers, training materials and territorial processes to address the challenges of building an ecologically and socially just  food system, as well as strengthening the synergies between the different small scale food producer organizations, social movements and other organizations promoting Agroecology. CONTACTS FOR MEDIA Boaventura Monjane - boa.monjane(a)viacampesina.org Lamine Coulibaly laminezie(a)gmail.com - mob +22376170979 Links: ------ [1] http://overview.mail.yahoo.com/mobile/?.src=Android [2] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/sustainable-pe… [3] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/stories/nyeleni/nyeleni.jpg [4] http://viacampesina.org/en/ [5] http://www.cnop-mali.org

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Mali: La Via Campesina and allies host an International Agroecology Forum to address Food Sovereignty
by La Vía Campesina 19 Feb '15

19 Feb '15

MALI: LA VIA CAMPESINA AND ALLIES HOST AN INTERNATIONAL AGROECOLOGY FORUM TO ADDRESS FOOD SOVEREIGNTY [1] Published on Thursday, 19 February 2015 22:18 MEDIA ADVISORY |LA VIA CAMPESINA [2](Bamako, 19 February 2015) - More than 200 delegates, among them peasants, family farmers, fisher folk, pastoralists, indigenous peoples, agricultural workers, consumers, urban poor organizations, NGOs, academics and other social movements will be at the Nyéléni Centre in Mali from 24 to 27 February, to take part in the first International Forum on Agroecology. This forum takes places at a time where the world is facing economic crisis, the climate is changing, and the Mother Earth is being aggressively exploited by the corporate model of death and land grabbing. According to La Via Campesina [3], agroecology is essential to humanity, since it builds autonomy and a better life for small scale food producers, produces more healthy food, provides a strong base for food sovereignty, and allows rural peoples to live in harmony with and take care of our Mother Earth. Peasant and small scale food producers' agroecology is considered to be the model of life, of farms with farmers, of food producers with productive resources, of rural communities with families, of countryside with trees and forests. According to Ibrahim Coulibaly, a leader of the National Coordination of Peasants Organizations [4] (CNOP) in Mali, "this forum will bring practical responses, that will lead to concrete solutions on how agroecology can save the planet from hunger and climate change". Together with La Via Campesina, organizations such as More and Better (MaB), Movimiento Agroecológico de América Latina y el Caribe (MAELA), Réseau des organisations paysannes et de producteurs de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (ROPPA), World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fishworkers (WFF), World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP) and World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Peoples (WAMIP) are co-organizers of the forum. The Mali forum aims at exchanging local knowledge and know-how of farmers, sharing the innovations of peasants and small scale food producers, training materials and territorial processes to address the challenges of building an ecologically and socially just  food system, as well as strengthening the synergies between the different small scale food producer organizations, social movements and other organizations promoting Agroecology. CONTACTS FOR MEDIA Boaventura Monjane - boa.monjane(a)viacampesina.org Lamine Coulibaly laminezie(a)gmail.com - mob +22376170979 Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/sustainable-pe… [2] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/stories/nyeleni/nyeleni.jpg [3] http://viacampesina.org/en/ [4] http://www.cnop-mali.org

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Via-info-en February 2015