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[Info EN] India’s farmers seek urgent solidarity. Globalise the Struggle, Globalise Hope!
by La Via Campesina 09 Dec '20

09 Dec '20

INDIA'S FARMERS SEEK URGENT SOLIDARITY. GLOBALISE THE STRUGGLE, GLOBALISE HOPE! #SUPPORTINDIANFARMERS #PEASANTFORPEASANTSOLIDARITY Thousands of our sisters, brothers and kins are pressing on with protests in and around India's National Capital, against three agricultural legislations that could be exploited by the private sector to buy crops at low prices. Despite the cold weather and brutal police crackdowns in some areas, protesting farmers and farm workers are resolute in their demand for a complete roll-back of these legislations. Since September 2020, several farmers' organisations in India, among them Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Bhartiya Kisan Union and many others, have been protesting the national government's attempts to bring in three legislations, that could make small-scale food producers vulnerable to exploitation by big corporations. * * These legislations, the farmers allege, would provide a perfect cover for corporations to further push down the prices of the produce. It would also weaken the government's procurement system, whereby the government buys staples, such as wheat and rice, at guaranteed prices. PROTESTING FARMERS WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO FIRST ROLL-BACK ALL THE THREE LEGISLATIONS, which they say were brought in with little or no consultation with them. They have demanded that the Government forms a Panel, which will then evaluate these legislations in consultation with the farmers and then build a consensus with the people who are affected by any reforms. THE FARMERS ARE ALSO DEMANDING THAT GOVERNMENT BRING IN A LAW THAT GUARANTEES MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICE FOR THEIR PRODUCE so that under no conditions, farmers are forced to sell their produce at losses. On 08 December 2020, farmers have called a nationwide strike across India, which also found support from trade unions, transport unions and many others. As La Via Campesina South Asia, representing and led by small-scale food producers in the region, WE CALL UPON ALL PEASANT ORGANISATIONS AROUND THE WORLD TO SEND MESSAGES OF SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY TO THE PROTESTING INDIAN FARMERS and echo their demands. It is time that peasants of the world unite, as the struggle for dignity and respect binds us all together, irrespective of where we are. Time has come to 'Globalise the Struggle and Globalise the Hope' for a dignified life for the communities who feed a majority of the world's population. It is essential to show our collective strength and remind the world that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere! HOW CAN YOU SHOW SOLIDARITY? * MOBILISE IN YOUR REGION, in support of Indian farmers and send photos/video messages to SECRETARIATLVCSOUTHASIA(a)GMAIL.COM * WRITE LETTERS TO INDIAN HIGH COMMISSIONS in your country and extend your solidarity to India's small-scale food producers. Find the contacts of Indian Missions in your country/region here: https://mea.gov.in/indian-missions-abroad-new.htm#A * ISSUE STATEMENTS OF SOLIDARITY WITH INDIAN FARMERS and email them to secretariatlvcsouthasia(a)gmail.com * SHARE YOUR MESSAGES OF SOLIDARITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH THE HASHTAGS #SupportIndianFarmers and #PeasantForPeasantSolidarity and tag @lvc_southasia on Twitter and @lvcsouthasia Facebook ------------------------- _issued by LA VIA CAMPESINA SOUTH ASIA | _08 December 2020 ail [1] ail [1] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/#email

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[Info EN] 03 Dec 2020: International Day of Action for Life and Against Agrotoxics
by La Via Campesina 03 Dec '20

03 Dec '20

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* View this email in your browser 03 DEC: PEASANT AGROECOLOGY NURTURES LIFE! #AGROTOXICSKILL | INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR LIFE AND AGAINST AGROTOXICS ------------------------- 03 DECEMBER 2020, HARARE: This _'INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR LIFE AND AGAINST AGROTOXICS'_ La Via Campesina, in association with Heinrich Böll Stiftung, is releasing a short video that highlights the promise of peasant agroecological practices, which is based on centuries of evidence and expertise. [1] We require a radical shift away from resource-intensive and wasteful production and consumption patterns and a deep transformation towards ecological sustainability and social justice. Demanding this transformation is not 'naïve' or 'politically unfeasible', it is radically realistic. Peasant agroecology is people's response to the inefficiencies and ill-effects of the Industrial food system, which is based on extensive use of agro-chemicals. Agrochemicals are the main source of greenhouses gases responsible for climate change. Research points out that [2] chemical fertilisers are responsible for numerous environmental and health calamities and are dwindling yields. Over the past 40 years, the efficiency of nitrogen fertilisers has decreased by two-thirds globally, and their distribution per hectare has increased by seven times. Yet, the use of agro-toxics is one of the main pillars of agribusiness, together with transgenic (genetically modified) seeds. The production and marketing of agro-toxics is monopolised by four large transnational companies that recently merged and have, working with and through subsidiaries and front companies, gained full control of the world agricultural input market: Monsanto-Bayer, DowDupond, Syngenta-ChemChina and BASF. The use of agro-toxics is no longer an issue solely related to agricultural production, but rather it's becoming a hazard for public health and the preservation of nature. Several European countries have already banned and punished the use of GMOs and agro-toxics due to their dangerous side effects. Inspired from a chapter that La Via Campesina contributed [3] in the publication Radical Realism for Climate Justice and edited by Heinrich Böll Stiftung, the video highlights how industrialised agriculture and the corporate food system are at the centre of the climate crisis and cannot be ignored in discussions about pathways to a 1.5 degree Celsius world. On this day, it is important to remind our communities and the world that food sovereignty is our compass and agroecological transition is the roadmap to achieve these needed systemic transformations. PEASANT AGROECOLOGY NURTURES LIFE! #AGROTOXICSKILL To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here For questions or comments, email lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org Website: www.viacampesina.org [4] TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [5] Links: ------ [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBnQurZDivo&feature=emb_logo [2] https://www.grain.org/en/article/5373-is-industrial-farming-a-tech-fix-or-d…. [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/publication-la-via-campesina-in-action-for-clim… [4] http://www.viacampesina.org [5] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org

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[Info EN] Hurricane Eta & Iota: La Via Campesina calls for urgent support and solidarity
by La Via Campesina 25 Nov '20

25 Nov '20

HURRICANE ETA & IOTA DEVASTATES CENTRAL AMERICA. LA VIA CAMPESINA CALLS FOR URGENT SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY 24 NOVEMBER, HARARE: Central America is extremely vulnerable to climate change, exposing it to severe hurricanes and tropical storms. In just this month of November, Hurricane Eta and then Iota, both touched ground in at the northeast corner of Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast and brought torrential rains, strong winds, landslides, and flooding in the entire region. The damage has been so far incalculable: roads, schools, electricity, internet, and potable water systems destroyed, and thousands of people left homeless. Disappearances and deaths are still being counted. The most severe damages that occurred are in rural indigenous and peasant communities. The peasants and workers in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Panama were already suffering under the anti-poor policies of their neoliberal governments. To make it worse, people were already reeling under a crisis generated by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Now with Eta and Iota, these governments have taken advantage to enrich the dominant class instead of protecting human life. As people seek refuge in shelters, under bridges, and on the streets in these countries, with little access to water and proper sanitary conditions, we worry that the cases of this terrible illness will increase. Massive crop losses in beans, corn, vegetables, and animals also mean a sharpening of the hunger crisis. IT IS IN THIS CONTEXT THAT WE SAY, "ONLY THE PEOPLE CAN SAVE THE PEOPLE!". We reaffirm the urgency of peasant agroecology as the real solution to the climate crisis. In addition to attending to the immediate emergency of saving lives, we must also construct agroecological countrysides that are resilient to the storms ahead and ensure that our communities have access to healthy food. La Via Campesina is calling upon all its members and allies to unite in solidarity for the people and peasant movements of Central America, and coordinate our efforts to recover farms, homes, and communities in the region. We call on governments to defend life and respond to the needs of the people, and we support progressive forces that have organized prevention, mitigation, and recovery plans. We also make a call for concrete expressions of solidarity from international organizations, UN agencies, and individual supporters of our movement through the campaign organized by the Central American region, "ONLY THE PEOPLE SAVE THE PEOPLE". TO SUPPORT, VISIT THIS LINK. [1] Links: ------ [1] https://cloc-viacampesina.net/campana-de-solidaridad-honduras-y-guatemala-a…

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[Info EN] #24Nov - LVC Forum "Follow-up to the Colombian Peace Accords"
by La Via Campesina 20 Nov '20

20 Nov '20

Building a Stable and Lasting Peace. "Building a Stable and Lasting Peace" _La Via Campesina Web-Dialogue_ REGISTER [1] This email was sent to viviana.rojas(a)viacampesina.org _why did I get this?_ [2] unsubscribe from this list [3] update subscription preferences [4] La Via Campesina · 197A Smuts Road · Prospect · Waterfalls · Zimbabwe [5] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [2] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/about?u=89bbab017155e4204481ee9c3… [3] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=89bbab017155e420448… [4] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/profile?u=89bbab017155e4204481ee9… [5] http://www.mailchimp.com/email-referral/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&amp…

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[Info EN] #25Nov - Virtual Event - "Actions for life, and against violence"
by La Via Campesina 19 Nov '20

19 Nov '20

Join us an event of collective struggle, reflection and mistica. "Actions for life, and against violence" _La Via Campesina Web-Dialogue_ REGISTER [1] This email was sent to viviana.rojas(a)viacampesina.org _why did I get this?_ [2] unsubscribe from this list [3] update subscription preferences [4] La Via Campesina · 197A Smuts Road · Prospect · Waterfalls · Zimbabwe [5] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [2] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/about?u=89bbab017155e4204481ee9c3… [3] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=89bbab017155e420448… [4] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/profile?u=89bbab017155e4204481ee9… [5] http://www.mailchimp.com/email-referral/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&amp…

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[Info EN] La Via Campesina | e-Newsletter | Aug - Oct 2020
by La Via Campesina 16 Nov '20

16 Nov '20

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* This edition of the newsletter is the result of a collective effort of organisations that are part of_ La Via Campesina's_ global movement. To subscribe to our monthly newsletter click here [1] The elected representatives of people must frame public policies in their states to promote local production and distribution of a diverse basket of food. It is essential that every government everywhere, prioritises the autonomy of their citizens in designing their food systems. Read the full statement [2] from La Via Campesina. La Via Campesina backs the UN Special Rapporteur's observation [3] that WTO policies have marginalised people's human rights concerns. UN Human Rights Council, Geneva: Via Campesina and allies intervene [4] at the #BindingTreaty negotiations virtually. Also read the campaign statement [5] on the latest Treaty draft. Young peasants call for a "Radical transformation of the food system", urges the UN Committee on Food Security to support food sovereignty [6] Land, agroecology & peasant identity: The experiences of young people [7] in Nicaragua. It's time to transform. It's time to Globalise Solidarity, Localise Agriculture [8]! "Namdu" - a producers' cooperative run and managed by farmers [9] in Karnataka, India. Mali: Union alleges intimidation and arrests [10] of activists and leaders. La Via Campesina extends solidarity and support [11] to the people of Thailand. Nyeleni Newsletter #41: "Beyond Land - Territory and Food Sovereignty" | #16October ------------------------- This issue of the Nyéléni Newsletter [12] looks at how land-related struggles have evolved over the past decades, starting with demands for agrarian reform to a more comprehensive framing, which asserts people's and communities' close and multi-faceted relationships to their territories. [13] Peasant seeds are endangered. Yet tampering with our seeds is akin to tampering with our food and our food sovereignty. It is also an attempt to erase the social memory of living beings, as seeds contain the history, collective vision, knowledge and practice of peasant communities the world over. This is why peasants everywhere are fighting for their preservation. Zin TV caught up with some of these peasants at the 7th International Conference of La Via Campesina in the Basque Country. YOU ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE AUTONOMY OF OUR MOVEMENT ------------------------- As a supporter who has contributed financial resources to La Via Campesina, and as an activist who joins us on the streets and in the fields, your support is always welcome and put to good use. YOU CAN RENEW YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO LA VIA CAMPESINA BY CLICKING HERE [14]. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [1] For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org [20] TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [21] To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [1] Links: ------ [1] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/food-sovereignty-is-the-flame-that-will-show-us… [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-backs-the-un-special-rapporteu… [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/geneva-via-campesina-and-allies-intervene-at-bi… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/global-campaign-statement-on-the-second-revised… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/young-peasants-un-committee-of-food-security-fo… [7] https://viacampesina.org/en/land-agroecology-peasant-identity-the-experienc… [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/event/globalize-solidarity-localize-agriculture… [9] https://viacampesina.org/en/namdu-a-producers-cooperative-run-and-managed-b… [10] https://viacampesina.org/en/mali-union-alleges-intimidation-and-arrests-of-… [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-extends-solidarity-and-support… [12] https://viacampesina.org/en/nyeleni-newsletter-41-beyond-land-territory-and… [13] https://vimeo.com/448826713 [14] https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/viacampesina [15] https://viacampesina.org/en/donations/ [16] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL [17] http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina [18] https://www.instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official/ [19] https://viacampesina.org/ [20] http://www.viacampesina.org [21] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org

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[Info EN] Call to Action #Nov25: Peasants in the Struggle for our Rights, against the Virus of Capital and Patriarchy!
by La Via Campesina 29 Oct '20

29 Oct '20

#NOV25: PEASANTS IN THE STRUGGLE FOR OUR RIGHTS, AGAINST THE VIRUS OF CAPITAL AND PATRIARCHY! 28 OCTOBER 2020 CAMPAIGN TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN [1], PATRIACHY [2] ------------------------- _Call to Action - November 25th - International Day for the Elimination of all Forms of Violence against Women._ ------------------------- HARARE – OCTOBER 28TH, 2020: Today, November 25th - La Via Campesina calls to affirm Food Sovereignty as a concrete measure of the States to put an end to violence against women in the countryside and in the cities, just as it is stated in the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants in its Art. 4. LVC denounces the structural violence of extractive capitalism and patriarchy, especially during this crisis that hits women and LGBTQ communities the hardest, as well as the working class as a whole, increasing the levels of exploitation with double and even triple working days, worsening their living conditions and with severe setbacks in matter of rights, even in the midst of this pandemic. Not only has COVID 19 caused a horrifying number of deaths worldwide, it has also lead to a spike in the rates of femicide as a result of lock down measures that left millions of women and children with no escape from their aggressors. This is one of the worst aspects of this crisis. COVID 19 is also increasing the workload for women as a result of remote schooling and the needs associated with the care taking of family members, such as the elderly and ill. During the pandemic, the rates of sexual and physical violence against women and children have risen horrifically. Pregnant little girls forced [3] to give birth, assassinations [4] of leaders, advocates and defenders of territories. Millions of women in rural and urban areas have entered the escalating figures of poverty, sub employment, unemployment and hunger. In the meantime, the States who claim to represent them continue implementing extractive, conservative and neoliberal policies that only worsen the violence and result in serious regressions of rights. La Via Campesina has denounced that even during a health crisis of this magnitude, the States have taken advantage of the situation to hand over land to transnational companies and large landholders. This has lead to higher numbers of evictions in several countries and a worsening of the criminalisation of peasants. More than ever, this crisis has made us reflect on the importance of solidarity and organisation. This is why we salute all women and LGBTQ communities who stand in resistance in all the different territories: the Zapatistas, the Turkish, Kurdish and Palestinian women and LGBTQ populations. Be it in the seashores, the plains, the mountains, the jungles, the forests, the countryside and the cities, we all come together to act globally demanding an end to all forms of violence against women and children, for a just, egalitarian and peaceful society. We acknowledge all the actions of tangible solidarity that organised women have been sustaining worldwide, especially during the pandemic, such as the production of healthy food, food donations, people's and ancestral health brigades, community soup kitchens against hunger, collective community workdays focused on sanitation, peasant markets, establishment of barter systems and other forms of popular and solidarity economy. These are concrete examples of self organisation and collective work. #Time to Transform We demand that the States recognise and value the potential of peasant women to ensure Food Sovereignty. The peasantry continues to be the main source of food for the peoples of the world, whereas the industrial system of transnational corporations has proven incapable of meeting minimum sanitary, safety and sustainability conditions. Worldwide women produce half the food, yet own less than 15% of the land, of which barely 2% belong to developing countries, according to the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture. Peasant women are also the ones most affected when the common goods and peasant agriculture are threatened by extractive and agro-industrial projects that dramatically impact the lives of their communities. We peasant women resist the continuous violations of the capitalist and patriarchal system, by the States and agribusiness that destroy nature, take away our lands, poison the planet and appropriate the water! For these reasons, on this Day of Struggle #Nov25, we as La Via Campesina call on our member organisations and allies to join in our struggle full of hope and resistance to transform the realities that perpetuate violence and ensure that the rights of all women and LGBTQ people are respected; to ensure that they are able to participate in the construction of new societies. #TIMETOTRANSFORM #WOMENINTHESTRUGGLE #STOPVIOLENCEAGAINSTWOMEN Call for Life, against Violence! Solidarity, sorority and resilience are essential values to live and coexist as societies fighting against the violence and brutality of this system. THIS #NOV25 JOIN OUR CALL FOR LIFE AND AGAINST VIOLENCE: * Participate in any symbolic act or local action promoted by your local organisation, community or country to end violence against women. #TimeToTransform * Join our LVC online streaming "Actions for Life and against Violence" on the 25th, an event of collective struggle, reflection and mistica. Link: _[TO BE UPDATED SOON]_ * Stay Home but not Silent! Use the materials for social media of our Global Campaign Stop Violence against Women, AVAILABLE HERE [5] * Commit to your organisation, community, neighbourhood and/or friends to support women and LGBTQ people at risk. Produce healthy food, donate baskets, organise a community soup kitchen or buy products of peasant women! #WomenInTheStruggle * Print our booklet with basic safety tips against violence, the importance of collective care and don't forget to translate it to your local language! AVAILABLE HERE [5] During the entire month of November we want to receive letters from our women and LGBTQ comrades, sharing their experiences of struggle and how LVC has contributed to empower them against violence and patriarchy. The letters shouldn't be too long and you can add a picture if you'd like, but that's not essential. We want to build our collective memory and rescue our voices from oblivion! We would also like to receive pictures and videos of people of all ages and genders to share in our social media accounts. You can use these slogans: _NO ONE WILL SILENCE OUR VOICES! STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN! WOMEN IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE VIRUS OF CAPITAL AND PATRIARCHY!_ Become a people's communicator and let's take social media by storm this #Nov25! Send all materials from October 28th to November 25th to LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG so we can publish it online. Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-against/patriachy/campaign… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-against/patriachy/ [3] https://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/embarazo-adolescente-ecuador-costos-s… [4] https://www.eltiempo.com/politica/proceso-de-paz/van-mas-de-80-lideresas-as… [5] https://cloud.viacampesina.org/s/zf5XPA5AoxNsNc4

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[Info EN] 16 October: "Food Sovereignty is the flame that will show us the way" La Via Campesina
by La Via Campesina 16 Oct '20

16 Oct '20

"FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IS THE FLAME THAT WILL SHOW US THE WAY", INSISTS LA VIA CAMPESINA AS IT MARKS #16OCTOBER IN A PANDEMIC YEAR PRESS STATEMENT: 16 OCTOBER 2020, _INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR PEOPLES' FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND AGAINST TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS_ ------------------------- HARARE: Thirty-five million confirmed cases--over a million dead people. All in just eight months. COVID 19 is now an existential crisis for humanity. Report after report has informed the world of the devastating impact this pandemic has had on the lives of people. No country or community is immune to this. Yet, it is essential to remind ourselves that people who were already poor and marginalised are facing a dilemma like no one else; either die of COVID or die of hunger. COVID-19 pandemic may add between 83 and 132 million people to the total number of undernourished in the world in 2020, according to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (SOFI 2020 [1]). A cruel irony here is that this increasingly hungry world also loses or wastes 1.3 billion tons [2] of food a year! FAO estimates that this wasted food would be enough to feed 2 billion people. Yet, the transnational agribusiness corporations that control much of the world's food supply are unable to do it, even as hunger is a lived reality of nearly a billion people! The pandemic will undermine [3] international efforts to bring down global poverty. Some 160 million people in Asia alone may be forced below the poverty line. In Latin America, that figure is around 45 million people. UNICEF, the U.N. Children's Fund, reported that 872 million students in 51 countries are unable to access education. Over 50% of these students live in circumstances where remote learning is impossible -- a scale that suggests a generational crisis in education, cites [3] news reports. In all this doom and gloom, for some, it is as if the pandemic does not exist. Swiss bank UBS reported that billionaires increased their wealth by more than a quarter at the height of the crisis from April to July. Not surprisingly, those in the healthcare their total wealth increased by over 50%. > WHAT DO WE MAKE OF A WORLD LIKE THIS? WHERE IS JUSTICE IN ALL THIS? IT IS IN THIS CONTEXT THAT LA VIA CAMPESINA IS MARKING THE _INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR PEOPLES' FOOD SOVEREIGNTY._ La Via Campesina, the global peasant movement that represents millions of peasants, indigenous peoples, fishers, migrants and other small-scale food producers in 82 countries has called upon the world's governments to recognise the limitations and inherent injustices of the industrial food system. The aggressive expansion of industrial food production [4] in the last five decades has also increasingly put human health in harm's way. Apart from the overuse of chemicals and over-processing of foods, which makes them less nutritious and more harmful, it has also resulted in a significant increase in zoonotic diseases - those caused by pathogens which jump from animals to humans (just like COVID-19). Yet, at the first signs of a global pandemic, this industrial food complex cracked up and left countries and citizens in disarray. For decades, governments did little to protect small farms and food producers which were pushed out of business by these growing dysfunctional corporate giants. They stood idle as their countries grew increasingly dependent on a few major suppliers of food who forced local producers to sell their produce at unfairly low prices so corporate executives can keep growing their profit margins. Even now, amidst the pandemic, we see persistent efforts by the agribusiness lobby to capture all democratic spaces of governance. For instance, the partnership between the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the UN Secretary-General to organise a "Food Systems Summit" in 2021 openly reflects a corporate takeover of the United Nations at the highest level. If anything, this pandemic has given us enough reasons to resist such corporate capture and instead accelerate our demands for a Binding Treaty [5] that can hold corporations accountable for human rights and peasants rights violations. FOOD SOVEREIGNTY THROUGH PEASANT AGROECOLOGY The elected representatives of people must frame public policies in their states to promote local production and distribution of a diverse basket of food. It is essential that every government everywhere, prioritises the autonomy of their citizens in designing their food systems. When small-scale food producers are given the power to design and decide, we will have a food system that is not just culturally and climatically appropriate and diverse; but also produced through peasant agroecological methods, based on centuries of evidence and experience. A recent report [6] from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recommends an "agroecological transition" to face global food crisis and land degradation. FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND AN URGENT AGRARIAN REFORM Food Sovereignty guarantees the most basic needs of the human society at all times - food. Pandemic or any other disruptive shocks that the world may witness can be withstood and survived if food is guaranteed to all people. Our food systems must be built on this most fundamental understanding of our basic rights and needs. Eating healthy food is the right of every human being on this planet. Healthy nutritional food cannot be replaced by tasteless, nutrition-less, homogeneous frozen meat and dairy packs produced in faraway factories. For food sovereignty to be guaranteed, all countries must embark on an agrarian reform that protects farmlands, rivers, oceans and forests from real estate and extractivist industries. How can people produce food if the land is taken away from them? How can a country call itself free, if it cannot feed its citizens healthy nutritious food? Yet, what we are seeing, even amidst the pandemic is States and agribusiness lobbies violently evicting people from their territories [7], criminalising [8] peasant leaders and enabling [9] land grabs. FOOD SOVEREIGNTY CAN BEAT RECESSION AND REVIVE RURAL ECONOMIES AND LIVELIHOODS The pandemic has also exposed the everyday horror of migrant workers [10], living in unsafe conditions in a foreign land that is hostile, xenophobic and patriarchal. It took a global pandemic to make the lives of billions of rural and urban workers visible to the powerful elites of the world, who were quick to sympathise on social media, yet called to make labour laws more "corporate-friendly". This criminal hypocrisy of the world's elites must stop. Workers must have the right to find work in or near their native places. Food Sovereignty can guarantee such a system as it involves using local resources - human and capital - in the production, distribution and consumption of food. Why would a worker migrate into a city and lead an undignified pitiful life, if one can find work and food, in or near one's village? The hyper-industrialised society that turned cities into economic engines have, for long, denied the workers the right to work closer home and be food sufficient. If anything, this pandemic has exposed the fragility of this model that deserted the workers at the first sign of trouble, forcing them to walk hundreds if not thousands of miles, back home. Corporate food system has exposed many of its workers to infection. This has been the case with the big slaughterhouses in the US, Germany and other countries. Migrant workers continue to work without adequate protection in the big farms in EU and US and many have been infected. Why should workers trust this system anymore? FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IS THE FLAME THAT CAN LEAD THE WORLD OUT OF THIS DARKNESS This long dark tunnel that the world has found itself in, is desperately seeking light. A majority of the world's people, living in despair and disarray are looking for a hopeful sign that can guarantee them and their future generations, equity, equality and dignity. Even in these difficult times, the solidarity among the world's poorest and most dispossessed people give us that hope. The fraternity and courage displayed by millions of health workers, sanitation workers, domestic workers, farm workers, indigenous peoples, electricians, technicians, delivery agents, drivers, sailors and countless other front-line workers is offering us a lesson; That in times of existential crisis, it is the workers and peasants who can save the world, even while forsaking their own safety and health. If this solidarity must persist, the world's governments must listen to the working class people and the peasants who feed the world. As a movement that represents over 200 million peasants in 82 countries, La Via Campesina is echoing the repeated demands for food sovereignty and agrarian reform coming from our territories and is asking for the urgent implementation of the UN Declaration on Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. LA VIA CAMPESINA, 16 OCTOBER 2020 ------------------------------------- For press enquiries: write to lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org To follow the solidarity actions around the world, check out the hashtags #FOODSOVEREIGNTYNOW #TIMETOTRANSFORM #16OCTOBER on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Links: ------ [1] http://www.fao.org/3/ca9692en/online/ca9692en.html#chapter-executive_summary [2] http://www.biodiversidadla.org/Noticias/Un-mundo-cada-vez-mas-hambriento-pi… [3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/09/25/pandemic-pushes-hundreds-mi… [4] https://www.etcgroup.org/content/breeding-next-pandemic [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/peoples-mobilisation-for-a-bindingtreaty-gather… [6] http://www.biodiversidadla.org/Documentos/Publicacion-de-ONU-recomienda-una… [7] https://viacampesina.org/en/mst-quilombo-campo-grande-camp-resists-eviction… [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/indonesia-spi-calls-for-urgent-solidarity-with-… [9] https://viacampesina.org/en/india-krrs-farmers-protest-in-different-distric… [10] https://viacampesina.org/en/covid-19-several-members-of-la-via-campesina-hi…

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[Info EN] La Via Campesina backs the UN Special Rapporteur’s observation on Trade Policies
by La Via Campesina 08 Oct '20

08 Oct '20

After 25 years, the World Trade Organization (WTO), one of the flag bearers of international free trade, is gradually losing its relevance. "Trade policy has primarily focused on economic frameworks and has either ignored or marginalised people's human rights concerns," said the Special Rapporteur on the right to food in its latest report: "The right to food in the context of international trade law and policy [1]. La Via Campesina that has been fighting against free trade imposed by WTO, welcomes this observation. The Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, started to carry out his tasks and presented the report to the UN General Assembly 75th session this September. It reflects on the longstanding critiques of the WTO's _Agreement on Agriculture_ and then proposes human rights as one of the overarching principles of better trade practices. The 23-page report is also rich in its references to the right to food, dignity, and solidarity while responding to the current Covid-19 crisis. La Via Campesina has long been at the forefront of the struggle against agriculture and food liberalisation pushed by the WTO. "As people working in the field to feed 70% of the world's population, we were the first to face the brunt of free trade agreements that were pushed forth by WTO and other multilateral institutions. The devastation caused by this top down model of global governance was first felt in our territories when it crashed the prices of our produce, destroyed local peasant markets, wiped away the rich biodiversity that existed in our fields, took away our autonomy over seeds and evicted millions of our sisters and brothers from their territories," said Kim Jeongyol, a peasant from South Korea. "The report is very crucial especially for public awareness - it shows that free trade is not working, especially in the current context of pandemic and also in from the eyes of human rights principles," said Zainal Arifin Fuat, from Serikat Petani Indonesia. "This is why from the beginning we put out our slogan 'WTO Out of Agriculture' which then expanded to 'End WTO'... And we have to stay vigilant as well as the danger is not only with the dying WTO - but also many free trade agreements that already take over in so many parts of the world," he continued. La Via Campesina commemorates the global fight against WTO and free trade in its "International Day of Struggle against WTO and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)", which is organised every 10 September. This year, the movement organised a web-dialogue "Globalise Solidarity, Localise Agriculture", which concluded that food sovereignty and the right to adequate food could only emerge from family farming and peasant-agriculture using agroecological means. "The UN Special Rapporteur reflects this sentiment in his report," Zainal mentioned. "We are happy that a UN report highlights this important issue, and that our voices and struggles are being heard. "We are pleased with the references to the UN Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas," "Now we continue defending and demanding our rights to land, to seeds, to water, to biodiversity, all of which have been hindered by the trade policies pushed by WTO and other FTAs," added Kim Jeongyol. One among the first and specific conclusions of the report is to wind down the WTO Agreement on Agriculture. The report is available here (in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian): https://undocs.org/A/75/219 Links: ------ [1] https://undocs.org/A/75/219

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[Info EN] Let’s strengthen Food Sovereignty: Produce, Buy and Eat local products
by La Via Campesina 07 Oct '20

07 Oct '20

LET'S STRENGTHEN FOOD SOVEREIGNTY: PRODUCE, BUY AND EAT LOCAL PRODUCTS CAMPAIGN FOR A BINDING TREATY [1], FOOD SOVEREIGNTY [2], TRANSNATIONAL COMPANIES AND AGRIBUSINESS [3] _"EATING HEALTHY IS OUR RIGHT; IT'S OUR STRUGGLE"_ _GLOBAL CALL FOR SOLIDARITY ACTION_ (Harare, October 6, 2020) This October 16th, the _INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR PEOPLES' FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND AGAINST TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS, _ La Via Campesina insists that it is #TIMETOTRANSFORM our society with food sovereignty and peasant agroecology. We are what we eat. Having healthy food is a basic human right. It is important to insist today, that the peasant way of producing food, in harmony with nature, is not just an act to reclaim our autonomy and food sovereignty, but it is also an act of resistance against the aggressive corporatization of our food systems and habits. Around the world, peasants, indigenous peoples, farm workers, the landless, fisherfolk, consumers, women, and the youth face difficult challenges because of the influence on and control of food systems by transnational corporations (TNCs). Increasingly, the control of common goods essential to humanity and nature is concentrated in the hands of a few rich and elite people, with disastrous effects on most people and their rights. In agriculture, this has led to intensive farming methods based on monocultures with the high use of toxic agro-chemical inputs, threatening and destroying peasant agriculture and life on the planet. This destruction is happening through land grabbing, water and air pollution, destructive extractive mining of resources, poisoning of food with agro-toxics and destroying biodiversity, and even the murder of peasant and indigenous activists and leaders. The climate crisis has also worsened. IN THIS CONTEXT, PRODUCING HEALTHY FOOD, SUPPORTING LOCAL FOOD MARKETS, AND EATING HEALTHY ARE IMPORTANT ACTS OF RESISTANCE AND GUARANTEE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT WITH EQUITY AND DIGNITY. As Via Campesina, we believe in and defend food sovereignty as peoples' right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced with ecologically sustainable methods. If we build local food sovereignty, we build strategies to resist and dismantle the current exploitative, destructive and repressive corporate food system and move towards food, agriculture, pastoral, and fishery systems determined by local producers and consumers. NOW IS THE TIME TO TRANSFORM AND BUILD A BETTER SOCIETY: The current COVID 19 pandemic has shown us the importance and the resilience of local food systems that keep many people from hunger and starvation. We, peasants, men and women, indigenous peoples, rural populations, agricultural workers, the youth in urban and rural areas, have the solution - FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND PEASANT AGROECOLOGY - to end hunger, to cool the planet, to preserve biodiversity, and respect the rights of peasants and workers. JOIN US TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE! We can only guarantee a safe and better world not only for today but also for future generations if you join us to transform our society: * Adopt a seed(s) and start growing your food to strengthen local production. Experience the joy of eating homegrown food. Send us or share with the following hashtags _#TIMETOTRANSFORM #FOODSOVEREIGNTYNOW_ (complete it with your own message) a video or a photo(s) of you doing this act of resistance against corporate capture of our food system * Join us, starting October 6th, to stop corporate impunity and violations of our rights by posting this message on social media FOOD SOVEREIGNTY BECAUSE ... using blank posters to complete it with your own message (download blank posters here [4]) * Request your local authorities to support local food production and buy from local food markets. Let's strengthen our local food systems. * Put pressure on governments to prioritize food sovereignty in public policies and implement the UN Declaration of Rights of Peasants and other people working in Rural Areas (UNDROP). Please send us your actions and articles to our email: lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org, tag us on social media twitter (@via_campesina [5]) and FaceBook (@viacampesinaOFFICIAL [6]), and make visible globally our collective mobilization for a better society based on food sovereignty. #LAVIACAMPESINA #TIMETOTRANSFORM #FOODSOVEREIGNTYNOW LET US GLOBALIZE THE STRUGGLE; LET US GLOBALIZE HOPE. Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-against/transnational-comp… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/food-sovereignty-and-t… [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-against/transnational-comp… [4] https://cloud.viacampesina.org/s/2Ws8ecGt98nbGT3 [5] https://twitter.com/via_campesina [6] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL

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