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Appeal for Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners and detainees on hunger strike in Israeli prisons
by La Via Campesina 10 May '17

10 May '17

APPEAL FOR SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AND DETAINEES ON HUNGER STRIKE IN ISRAELI PRISONS [1] 09 May 2017, By Union of Agricultural Work Committee (UAWC), Palestine **** _To all Human Rights and human dignity defenders, To all who oppose Israel crimes and terrorism,_ Palestinian Prisoners and detainees are on an open hunger strike for the 23rd day respectively demanding of their basic rights, Israeli brutal Occupation has detained their freedom as a punishment for their legitimate struggle against occupying their homeland, it even deprived them from their basic needs, and practices systematic repressive policies against them, which violates the International Law principles. Today Israeli Authorities are threatening prisoners with forced feeding; which is a brutal procedure that inflicts severe bodily harm against hunger striking prisoners which might result in death; and is against international law. Israeli prison authorities ramping up punitive procedures in an attempt to pressure prisoners to break their strikes, hunger-striking prisoners has continuously been transferred into solitary confinement, Israel Prison Service has banned lawyers to visit the prisoners, in addition to unannounced inspections and searching the prisoner's rooms, also they ban prisoners to have salt, which resulted in a serious deterioration of hunger-striking prisoners' health. The continuous denial of the Israeli occupation to respond to the Hunger Strikers demands; is a renewed episode of their arrogance, which does not assess any weight to the International conventions and declarations. Palestinian Prisoners and detainees persist to continue their hunger strike, as a recognized right by all Legislations and International conventions, as a legal mean to face the inhumane conditions practiced by the Israeli jailer. These inhumane conditions, which contradict all declarations and agreements undertaken by the International Community represent as constant principles, rules and procedures governing relations between the detainees and prisoners on the one hand, and the military occupation on the other. Everyone today is called upon to protest and hold activities in solidarity with Palestinian Political Prisoners Hunger Strike; LET OUR MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY BE TO ALL PALESTINIAN DETAINEES WHO ARE RESISTING WITH THEIR EMPTY STOMACHS THE TYRANTS ARE TREMBLING IN FRONT OF YOUR STEADFASTNESS Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/news-from-the-regions-mainmenu-29/229…

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La Via Campesina | e-Newsletter | March-April 2017
by La Via Campesina 03 May '17

03 May '17

La Via Campesina | e-Newsletter | March-April Edition, 2017 Donate [1] This edition of the newsletter is the result of a collective effort of organisations, which are part of_ La Via Campesina_ movement worldwide. To subscribe click here [2] #17APRIL - PEASANTS' DAY MOBILISATIONS [3] World over members and allies of La Via Campesina commemorated the International Day of Peasant Struggles by organising solidarity marches, public events, land occupations, screening films, seminars and much more. Here is a glimpse of what it looked like Facebook Album [4] - and if you are on Twitter here are a few updates [5]. To see the Global Map of Actions click here [6]. You can also follow the hashtags - #17APRIL, #17AVRIL, #17ABRIL, #PEASANTSRIGHTS - on Facebook and Twitter for a comprehensive view of the solidarity actions worldwide and also check out our image slideshow here [7]. IN OUR ACTIONS THIS #17APRIL, WE DEFENDED THE RIGHTS OF PEASANTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WORKING IN RURAL AREAS The initiative towards a _United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas_ is one of the ways to legitimatize our struggles to build and reinforce food sovereignty where by our social, cultural, economic and political values are fully respected and upheld. We believe that in championing the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas, humanity also wins. Read More [8] NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD A UN DECLARATION FOR PEASANTS' RIGHTS: REGIONAL CONSULTATIONS In South Africa [9], India [10] and Sri Lanka [11] workshops and consultations were held early in April to provide further inputs into the ongoing negotiations for a UN Declaration on Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. INDONESIA: PEASANTS MOBILISE FOR THEIR RIGHTS For peasants in Indonesia, two dates in April - the 17th and the 20th - hold massive significance in their persistent struggle for peasants' rights. Read More [12] NFU COMMEMORATES THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEASANTS' STRUGGLE We stand in solidarity with peasants around the world who face threats and discrimination, persecution and violence and we support the advance toward the UN Declaration of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. Read More [13] POST-BREXIT POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS The launch featured a dining table promoting the high-quality fresh produce of our members to highlight the need for small-scale and family farmers to be offered a _'place at the table'_ in upcoming negotiations over the future of UK agriculture policy. Read More [14] KRSS BRINGS YOUNG FARMERS TOGETHER IN KARNATAKA, INDIA _"Naavenmaadbeku?"_ ("What should we do?") - an introspection into the role Young Farmers can and should play in the political struggle for agrarian reform. Read More [15] DAIRY CRISIS: SOFT LANDING TURNS INTO A REAL CRASH Two years after the announcement that led to the end of the dairy quota regime March 31, 2015, no glimmer of hope looms on the horizon of dairy producers. Today, the majority of dairy producers in Europe continue to sell every kilo of milk at a loss. Read More [16] MARCHA CAMPESINA: REMEMBERING CÉSAR CHÁVEZ AND THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE AND DIGNITY Chávez spent most of his life organizing farm workers to change their conditions of oppression and exploitation in the fields.This march was precisely held to remember Cesar Chavez and the cause for which he lived and died. Read More [17] ADDITIONAL BLOW TO AGRICULTURE THROUGH RCEP UNACCEPTABLE: NOUMINREN Farmers in Japan have a serious concern that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will damage small family farming and undermine the foundation of steadily feeding rising population in Asia. Read More [18] "THE NEED FOR A UN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF PEASANTS IS MORE URGENT THAN EVER" With the three days of rich exchanges, the Global Peasants' Rights Congress in Schwäbisch Hall, has set the pace for the needed global collective effort ahead of this May's UN Open-ended intergovernmental Working Group, which will try to finalize the Peasants' Rights Declaration. Read More [19] BRAZIL: 2016 THE MOST VIOLENT YEAR IN THE COUNTRYSIDE SINCE 2003 During the 90s, there was a decline in the number of deaths, and in 2000, there were 21 recorded assassinations. How can we explain that this number doubled in 2015 (with 50 recorded deaths) and tripled in 2016? Read More [20] STRENGTHEN THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF PEASANTS: SIGN THE PETITION With more than 8000 signatures already collected, the petition targets the backing of 30.000 people, particularly from across Europe. Read More [21] KWPA OPENS 'WOMEN PEASANTS' AGROECOLOGY SCHOOL' The agroecology program at the new school is divided into four learning sessions spread across several months, combining theoretical and on-field training. Read More [22] MEMBERS OF LANDLESS WORKERS' MOVEMENT IMPRISONED SINCE NOVEMBER IN PARANÁ The campaign 'My crime is to struggle" wants to denounce the process of criminalization that human rights defenders have been suffering in the country. Read More [23] INDIA: PEOPLE'S GROUP REJECT RCEP Cheap imports of palm oil, pepper and tea have devastated lives of peasants across South India. The RCEP will further aggravate this crisis, fears farmers' groups. Read More [24] UNITE AGAINST THE FFA FOR THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE! The agriculture that agribusiness offers us is nothing new. It merely follows the same path that has brought about the destruction of our soils, the deterioration of biodiversity, the pollution of our waters and the disappearance of our farms. Read More [25] OUR FOOD IS NOT YOUR AGRI-BUSINESS! MARCH 25 MOBILISATION IN ROME On the 60th anniversary of the founding Treaty of the European Union, the peasant women and men of ECVC, demonstrated in the streets of Rome demanding healthy and quality food, decent work, and a just and a sustainable agricultural policy in a Europe for the people and of solidarity. Read More [26] UAWC'S STATEMENT ON THE OCCASION OF LAND DAY Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) urges the Palestinian Authority (PA) to take a number of steps to strengthen the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land, and support their resistance against the settlement expansion and the Apartheid wall. Read More [27] BHARATIYA KISAN UNION BACKS TAMIL NADU FARMERS PROTESTING WITH HUMAN SKULLS IN NEW DELHI Tamil Nadu farmers called off their strike in Delhi on 23 April. Nearly 170 drought-affected farmers from the southern state have been on an indefinite protest in Delhi for 40 days. In this article, BKU leaders explain why they back the demands of the agitating farmers from South of India. Read More [28] FTAS AND AGRICULTURE _EDITION NO: 29 OF NYELENI NEWSLETTER IS NOW ONLINE._ FTAs aren't just about 'trade'. They're comprehensive agreements to lock in free market capitalism, strengthen the power of global corporations, finance, and powerful governments and advance their geopolitical objectives. We must struggle for real systemic change, saying "no to FTAs and global free market capitalism", combatting racist politics and defending mother earth. We can't turn FTAs into tools of people power. They should be buried, not born again. Download the English edition [29] [30] IN DEFENCE OF LIFE AND LAND! _Duration: 21 Mins_ As part of the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Dorado dos Carajás Massacre, where 19 peasants and landless peasants were killed in their legitimate struggle for land on April 17, 1996, La Vía Campesina organized the_ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AGRARIAN REFORM_,in April 2016 in Brazil. It was a space that sought to update the debate on agrarian reform with its members and allies, while also reflecting on the strengths and challenges of the peasant movement. This video provides a glimpse of the rich exchages that occured over those five days. Watch Now [31] [32] ACTION IN PERWEZ: NO TO CONCRETING AGRICULTURAL LAND _Duration: 3 Mins_ Video of the peasants' struggle day to defend agricultural land under threat in Perwez, Belgium. Watch Now [33] [34] THE SECOND EUROPEAN NYÉLÉNI FORUM FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY _Duration: 10 Mins each_ The second European Nyéléni Forum for Food Sovereignty brought together farmers, fisherfolk, pastoralists, gardeners, food and agricultural workers, researchers, activists and many more. This largest-ever European meeting on food sovereignty took place from October 25th to October 30th, 2016. Over 500 people from over 40 countries gathered to discuss how to reclaim our ever-more corporate-controlled food and farming system. Watch Chapter 1 [35], Chapter 2 [36] and Chapter 3 [37] 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 [38]here. [39] [40] Follow us on twitter [41] [42] Find us on Facebook [43] [44] Subsribe our Vimeo Channel [45] To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [46] For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org [47] TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [48] To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [49] This email was sent to abhilash(a)viacampesina.org _why did I get this?_ [50] unsubscribe from this list [51] update subscription preferences [52] La Via Campesina · 197A Smuts Road · Prospect · Waterfalls · Zimbabwe [53] Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [2] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [3] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [4] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [5] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [6] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [7] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [8] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [9] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [10] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [11] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [12] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [13] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [14] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [15] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [16] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [17] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [18] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [19] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [20] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [21] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [22] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [23] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [24] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [25] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [26] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [27] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [28] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [29] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [30] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [31] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [32] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [33] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [34] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [35] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [36] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [37] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [38] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [39] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [40] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [41] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [42] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [43] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [44] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [45] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [46] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [47] http://www.viacampesina.org [48] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org [49] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [50] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/about?u=89bbab017155e4204481ee9c3&… [51] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=89bbab017155e4204481… [52] http://viacampesina.us13.list-manage2.com/profile?u=89bbab017155e4204481ee9… [53] http://www.mailchimp.com/monkey-rewards/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&amp…

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This April 17th – We defend the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas
by La Via Campesina 17 Apr '17

17 Apr '17

THIS APRIL 17TH –WE DEFEND THE RIGHTS OF PEASANTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WORKING IN RURAL AREAS [1] PRESS RELEASE (Harare, April 17, 2017) Today La Via Campesina, the international peasant movement, commemorates the International Day of Peasants' Struggle[1] [2] with a focus on strengthening, protecting and recognizing the human rights of peasants. The initiative towards a United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas is one of the ways to legitimatize our struggles to build and reinforce food sovereignty where by our social, cultural, economic and political values are fully respected and upheld. We believe that in championing the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas, humanity also wins. Hundreds of millions of peasants are forced to live and lead undignified lives as their basic rights are increasingly very vulnerable as a result of capitalist and neoliberal logic of profit maximisation. Our rights to land, water, seeds, biodiversity, decent income are continuously being compromised, denied, violated and usurped. We, the Peasants, despite producing the bulk of the food consumed globally, continue to face criminalisation and discrimination. We, the peasants, women, youth, men, and indigenous peoples, however, continue to build our struggles globally to defend our rights against corporate interests, persecution and violence against peasants and other people working in rural areas. We struggle for a genuine agrarian reform and a better protection of rights to land against land-grabbing; we continue to conserve, use, and exchange our seeds - denouncing laws and interests that seek to prohibit such practises; we promote agroecology, traditional practices and knowledge to combat climate change; we continue the struggle to end corporate control of our food and reject free trade agreements; and we keep on building gender equality and move forward for the rights of peasant women, youth, migrants and other people working in rural areas. Next month in May, the 4th session of UN Open Ended Intergovernmental Working Group will be held to finalize the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. Our collective struggles will pressure governments and other parties to support and commit to a strong UN declaration. We believe that the UN declaration will be crucial to solve malnutrition, hunger, poverty, and climate crisis. Join us today by organising demonstrations, public debates and discussions, film screenings, farmers' markets, festivals, lobbying governments, or any other solidarity actions. We are calling to all people's movements, women, youth, indigenous, fisher folk, migrants, workers, environmentalists, to support this movement. Share your actions by sending to lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org so that we can capture and circulate them on our MAP [3] of actions. SPOKESPEOPLE Diego Montón (ES) +54 9 261 561 5062 Elizabeth Mpofu (EN) +263 772 443 716 Geneviève (FR) +33 6 25 55 16 87 ------------------------- [1] [4] On April 17th 1996, in the Amazonian state of Pará, at Eldorado dos Carajás, the state military police massacred peasants organized in the Movement of Landless Rural Workers (MST), killing 19 individuals and injuring 69. That day, 1500 women and men organized in the MST occupied and blocked the BR-150 highway in Eldorado dos Carajás, with the aim of bringing pressure to bear on the State and Federal governments to implement agrarian reform. State authorities, the police, the army and powerful local landowners were involved in the planning and executing of the massacre. Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/17-apr… [2] file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Documents/Final%20Press%20Release%20for%20April%2017th%20-%20Peasant%20Rights.docx#_ftn1 [3] http://u.osmfr.org/m/136989/ [4] file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Documents/Final%20Press%20Release%20for%20April%2017th%20-%20Peasant%20Rights.docx#_ftnref1

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Join the movement demanding a UN Declaration on Peasants’ Rights!
by La Via Campesina 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

Join the movement for Peasants' Rights! STRENGTHEN THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF PEASANTS! SIGN THE PETITION [1] Peasants, fishers, pastoralists and other people working in rural areas produce most of the healthy and diverse food that we eat every day. In Europe and all around the world, they play a leading role in ensuring the food sovereignty of our communities and the resilience of our food system in the face of climate change. However, small farms are rapidly disappearing and peasant agriculture is under threat due to the expansion of industrial agriculture, land grabbing, and the dismantling of public support. Peasants and other rural working people face systematic discrimination, with rural women particularly affected. They need your support to continue creating agroecological, resilient alternatives to industrial agriculture and develop healthy and sustainable local food systems for the future of our planet. Join the movement for Peasants' Rights and ask the EU and its Member States to actively participate in good faith in the elaboration of a "UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and other People Working in Rural Areas". Demand from your Ministry of Foreign Affairs to recognize Peasants' Rights, including their rights to land, seeds, biodiversity, decent income and livelihood and the means of production. Demand the right of peoples to food sovereignty now by SIGNING THIS PETITION [1]! BACKGROUND: The process towards the "UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and other People Working in Rural Areas" aims to create an international human rights instrument to improve the promotion and protection of their rights and draw attention to the threats and discrimination suffered by peasants and people involved in small-scale food production across the world. The current draft Declaration is the result of the work undertaken by La Via Campesina (LVC) over more than 15 years, supported by FIAN International and CETIM (Europe Third World Centre), with the support of other social movements. This process has a unique strategy, namely to have the Declaration recognised by the UN and the international human rights governance system through the voices, concerns, and issues raised by grassroots peasant movements. With the next session of the intergovernmental working group, scheduled for May 2017 at the UN Human Rights Council, we need to put pressure on our governments and strengthen our position. Links: ------ [1] https://peasantsrights.eu/

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Peasants’ houses in Mekar Jaya - the ‘‘hometown of agrarian reform’’ in Indonesia - razed to the ground
by La Via Campesina 31 Mar '17

31 Mar '17

Peasants' houses in Mekar Jaya - the ''hometown of agrarian reform'' in Indonesia - razed down by a plantation firm [1] [2] It is cruelly ironical. Less than 72 hours after President Joko Widodo's orders to implement the agrarian reform through land redistribution as a step to address economic disparity and inequality, peasant families of Mekar Jaya Village in Langkat District of North Sumatera Province in Indonesia were in for a rude shock. _Langkat Nusantara Kepong Ltd (LNK)_ a Malaysian firm with interests in palm oil plantations, did exactly the opposite by evicting these families from their own lands and razing their houses to the ground. 554 hectares of land have been forcefully grabbed from peasants by this Corporation, in a series of attempts made since the 18th of November 2016. In the latest of those actions, carried out on Monday the 27th of March, seventy houses have been razed down to the ground. The affected peasant families, who are members of the Indonesian Peasants' Union (SPI), have so far been putting up a brave fight. But with nowhere to stay and their houses gone, the distress and despair is strikingly evident. [3]General Secretary of the Central Board (DPP) of SPI, Agus Ruli Ardiansyah said that over a thousand personnel from the police and fire department, descended with heavy machineries to carry out the eviction on Monday. Visibly agitated, he spoke at a press conference in Jakarta on the morning of the 28th, "We denounce LNK. It's actions certainly violate the orders of President Jokowi to immediately implement agrarian reform and land redistribution to address the economic disparity, because Mekar Jaya has previously been listed as a hometown of agrarian reform. 70 houses were destroyed. 360 families have nowhere to stay any longer," "What PT-LNK did will increase rural poverty. With its latest actions, the firm has curtailed peasants' access to livelihood. It is a direct violation of the instructions of President Jokowi to accelerate the agrarian reform. He had re-emphasized it at Mandailing Natal, on March 25, 2017, " Agus Ruli added. Zubaidah, Chairperson of SPI North Sumatra Region gives a brief history of the region and recalls 1952, when people of Paya Redas and Paya Kasih earmarked nearly 1,000 hectares of land for paddy cultivation. "It resulted in the creation of a settlement called Paya Redas, with TK Abdul Hamit as their village head from 1954 till 1964. In the 1970's trouble started when the company PTP II/PTPN II forcefully evicted peasants from nearly 500 hectares of land. Since then, up till now families in the region have been facing these threats periodically.", says Zubaidah. LNK, the firm that carried out Monday's eviction attack, is a joint venture of PTPN II and Kuala Lumpur Kepong Plantation Holdings Ltd. The Malaysian partner holds 60% of the stake in LNK. Its efforts to evict peasants from the lands which were occupied and managed over the years and over several generations, have been gathering steam lately. "PT LNK claimed that these peasants who have been living on this land are tenants who come from outside the area. On the contrary, we are the true owners of this land and these houses. We are the descendants and direct heirs of those who have lived here for generations, "said Zubaidah. At a meeting of all-affected-parties held on the 30th of March, Zubaidah made a presentation explaining the context and the current situation to the House of Representatives of North Sumatra (DPRD). Chairman of DPRD North Sumatra, F.L. Fernando Simanjuntak has ordered LNK and PTPN II to treat the community respectfully and rightfully. "We are from SPI of North Sumatra, with representatives of SPI from Mekar Jaya village here to meet the_ Commission A_ DPRD North Sumatra." "_Commission A_, represented by Fernando Simanjuntak and Sarma Hutajulu as Chairman and Secretary acknowledged that the municipal police could not evict land and peasants' houses. This means that LNK has arbitrarily carried out this action ", Zubaidah said in a press statement. EMERGENCY IN MEKAR JAYA! [4] Chairman of the Executive Branch (BPC) of SPI, Langkat Suriono asserted that the land and houses that have been bulldozed are still legally valid. "Based on the conflict settlement process and the RDP report to the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), the Ministry of Agricultural, and others, there has been no decision on the status of land and houses owned by peasants. This means that no one can carry out any activities on the land, including eviction and destruction of the homes " said Suriono. Suriono also urged LNK to respect the laws and instructions of the President Jokowi about the implementation of agrarian reform rather than straddling the law and obstructing the agrarian reform by destroying the lives and livelihoods of small peasants. "National Land Agency (BPN) or Agricultural Ministry itself has not decide on the conflict, why LNK boldly straddles the law in this country? Are they not satisfied with eliminating our source of livelihood, that they are now bulldozing our homes and evicting us from our land? "he asked ------------------------- FOR QUERIES: Zainal Arifin Faud - +6281311155365 - zainal(a)spi.or.id Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights-… [2] https://www.spi.or.id/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/penggusuran-mekarjaya.jpg [3] http://www.spi.or.id/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/penggusuran_mekar_jaya_3.jpg [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/images/2017-03-31%20Mekar%20Jaya.jpg

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Call to mobilise on #17April - Int'l Day of Peasant Struggles!
by La Via Campesina 24 Mar '17

24 Mar '17

CALL TO MOBILISE ON #17APRIL, _INT'L DAY OF PEASANT STRUGGLES_! [1] PEASANTS RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS! ADVANCE TOWARD UN DECLARATION ON RIGHTS OF PEASANTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WORKING IN RURAL AREAS! HARARE, 23 MARCH 2017: The international farmers' movement La Via Campesina calls all its members and allies to MOBILISE ON APRIL 17, the International Day of Peasant's struggles.[1] [2] This year, we want the world to know that peasants and other people working in rural areas have been working very hard for their rights. The rights of peasants initiative, which La Via Campesina started 17 years ago, now is in advanced process within the United Nations towards a Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. This declaration, if approved, will create an international legal instrument to protect the rights of and draw attention to the threats and discrimination suffered by peasants and other people working in rural areas. The need for a UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and other People Working Rural Areas is more urgent and evident in the 21st century. Peasants, who produce the bulk of the food consumed globally, continue to face criminalisation, discrimination, displacements and persecution despite existence of numerous international legal instruments for recognition and protection of such rights. Peasants' basic rights are increasingly very vulnerable as the economic and ecological crisis worsens. This situation is closely linked to human rights violations: expropriation of land, forced eviction, gender discrimination, the absence of right to land and lack of rural development, low income and lack access to means of production, insufficient social protection, and criminalization of movements defending the rights of peasants and people working in rural areas. For instance, in Africa, over 70% of the agricultural production and care-giving is done by women but there is little recognition of their rights in relation to asset ownership, access to credit, information and participation in policy making etc. In Brazil, despite many years of peasants struggling for comprehensive agrarian reform, fair redistribution of land remains unfulfilled. In Europe, the Common Agricultural Policy and market deregulation of the milk sector affect hundreds of thousands of family farmers. In Asia, much as in rest of the world, free trade agreements and bilateral treaties have destroyed local markets and continue to threaten local and traditional ways of farming and farmers' exchange. Land concentration is increasing as some of the affected farmers are forced to sell their land; youth participation in farming is at its lowest. We call upon the people around the world to celebrate International Day of Peasants' Struggle by continuing to work to reinforce food sovereignty, the fight against climate change and the conservation of biodiversity; to fight for a genuine agrarian reform and a better protection against land-grabbing; continue to conserve, use, and exchange our seeds; and strengthen the solidarity among ourselves. These give strength for us to defend our land against corporate interest, persecution and violence against peasants and other people working in rural areas. This year in July 2017 in the Basque Country, La Via Campesina will hold its VIIthInternational Conference to deepen our analysis of the current crisis and agree on strategic lines for action to strengthen our movement. We also call upon countries to support the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. We will mobilise our members and allies to pressure our governments to make the next negotiation in the 4th session of Open Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on rights of peasants and other people working in rural area at UN HR Council Geneva successful. We believe in championing the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas, humanity also wins. JOIN US ON APRIL 17TH BY ORGANISING DEMONSTRATIONS, PRESSURE TO GOVERNMENTS, PUBLIC DEBATES AND DISCUSSIONS, FILM SCREENINGS, FARMERS MARKETS, FESTIVALS, OR SOLIDARITY ACTIONS - ALL OF YOUR IDEAS AND PLANS ARE WELCOME! SHARE BY SENDING TO LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG SO THAT WE CAN CAPTURE AND CIRCULATE THEM ON OUR MAP OF ACTIONS AHEAD OF TIME. PLEASE SEND US YOUR PICTURES, AUDIOS AND VIDEOS SO THAT WE CAN UPLOAD THEM ON OUR WEBSITE [3] AND OUR OUR TV [4]". ------------------------- * It is vital that our rights as peasantry are guaranteed. Access to land is essential for a decent life in the countryside and to realise Food Sovereignty for all the peoples of the world. Watch and share our new video, available here [5]! * Download high resolution poster for web and A3 printing for Poster. Click here [6] * Follow us on Social media: @via_campesina [7] and https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL * For more information about process within the UN click here [8] WE FEED OUR PEOPLES AND BUILD THE MOVEMENT TO CHANGE THE WORLD! ------------------------- [1] [9] On April 17th, 1996, 19 peasants were killed when military police in the Amazonian State of Pará in Brazil attacked a large number of members of the Landless Workers Movement (MST) who were blockading a highway in order to demand agrarian reform. Two more people died from their injuries several days later, and hundreds of others were so seriously injured that they could not go on working in agriculture. La Via Campesina, which was then in the midst of holding its second international conference at Tlaxcala in Mexico, declared April 17th to be the International Day of Farmers' and Peasants' Struggle. Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/17-apr… [2] cid:part3.4AEF4BF1.8263D3D2@viacampesina.org [3] http://www.viacampesina.org/ [4] https://tv.viacampesina.org/ [5] https://tv.viacampesina.org/International-Conference-of-1065?lang=en [6] https://cloud.viacampesina.org/s/JYu0yttChXunacM [7] https://twitter.com/via_campesina [8] http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RuralAreas/Pages/4thSession.aspx [9] cid:part12.34CA902E.8BF775B3@viacampesina.org

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La Via Campesina | e-Newsletter | Feb 2017
by La Via Campesina 14 Mar '17

14 Mar '17

La Via Campesina | e-Newsletter | February, 2017 Donate [1] This edition of the newsletter is the result of a collective effort of organisations, which are part of_ La Via Campesina_ movement worldwide. To subscribe click here [2] MARCH OF THE WOMEN ------------------------- For the women of La Via Campesina from all over the world, 8th of March is a day of struggle, resistance and denunciation of the capitalist system, transnational corporations (TNCs), patriarchy and masochism. These oppress, exploit and violate women. It's also a day of solidarity with women's struggles. Here is a glimpse of our actions worldwide. For more visit our Facebook Album [3] NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD INDONESIA BARGAINING POSITION IN EU CEPA IS QUESTIONABLE ------------------------- Zainal Arifin Fuad, from Serikat Petani Indonesia / Indonesian Peasant Union, argued that the flow of free trade and agricultural products from EU will marginalize the agricultural products from Indonesian farmers. Read More [4] UAWC APPEAL AGAINST LAW TO LEGALIZE WEST BANK SETTLEMENT SPOTS ------------------------- This law would allow the Israeli occupation to authorize thousands of Israeli settlements units, and 53 Israeli spots, as well as, to confiscate 8,000 dunums from privately owned Palestinian lands. Read More [5] FOOD SOVEREIGNTY WITHIN A NEW AGRICULTURAL POLICY! ------------------------- CAP hasn't addressed the near extinction of small farmers in many regions of Europe (90% of farms have been lost in the last 30 years in certain regions), or the abusive use of antibiotics in high concentration animal farms. Read More [6] "CETA IS A FALSE SOLUTION TO ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL WOES" - NATIONAL FARMERS UNION ------------------------- Farmers in Europe understand that CETA is another threat to their livelihood. In Canada, some farmers will see immediate income pressures as CETA comes into effect. Read More [7] CROFTERS GATHER TO DISCUSS BREXIT IMPLICATIONS ------------------------- The event aimed at setting a 'crofting agenda' for the upcoming Brexit negotiations and a post-Brexit agricultural policy that is fit for crofting. Read More [8] CONDEMNATION OF THE MURDER OF SULEIMAN HAMMAD, PALESTINIAN FARMER ------------------------- La Vía Campesina strongly condemns the brutal and intentional murder of our comrade Suleiman Hammad, an 85-year-old Palestinian farmer who on February 8th, 2017 was run over by an Israeli settler, while walking to work on his land near Al-Khader Village, south of Bethlehem. Read More [9] INDIAN FARMERS' GROUPS WRITE AN OPEN LETTER TO ROBERTO AZEVEDO, DIRECTOR GENERAL, WTO ------------------------- Director General of World Trade Organisation (WTO), Roberto Azevedo, is in Delhi, on 8-9th of February 2017. Indian farmers's groups have written an open letter citing numerous instances of violations of their rights brought about by ujnust policies of the trade body. Here is the full text: Read More [10] DEFEAT DIVSEEK: FAO REFUSES TO COLLABORATE IN BIOPIRACY DivSeek was set up with money from the World Bank to carry out the genetic sequencing of all the seeds held in the genebanks of the various countries of the planet. It then publishes these sequences accompanied by information on the characters of interest of the plants concerned. Read More [11] RESOLUTION: CALL TO ACTION IN SUPPORT OF STANDING ROCK SIOUX TRIBE ------------------------- The North American Region of La Via Campesina sends its most sincere solidarity to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the water defenders in their heroic struggle to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and in defense of Mother Nature and their sacred land. Read More [12] "WE WANT TO COME OUT STRONGER AND HAVE OUR RIGHTS RESPECTED" Andalusian Inmaculada Ibáñez, member of the women's articulation group and leader of the women's faction of the Coordinadora Agricultores Ganaderos (a major farmer organisation in Spain), spoke with Radio Mundo Real. Read More [13] STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE ACTIVIST WHO WAS PREVENTED FROM TRAVELING ------------------------- The International Women's Articulation of La Via Campesina, issued a statement following the unfair decision of the Israeli forces to prevent comrade Meriam Ismael from leaving Palestine. Read More [14] TAKING AGROECOLOGY TO SCALE _ZERO BUDGET NATURAL FARMING PEASANT MOVEMENT IN KARNATAKA, INDIA_ This paper, produced as part of the self-study process, specifically examines Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), a grassroots peasant agroecology movement in Karnataka, India. ZBNF ends reliance on purchased inputs and loans for farming, positioning itself as a solution to extreme indebtedness and suicides among Indian farmers. A [15]CCESS THE FULL VERSION OF THE PAPER [15] [16] We are the women's strike. Solidarity is our weapon. Watch Now [17] [18] Marco Aurelio, from MST (Brazilian Landless Workers Movement), spoke to Newsclick on current developments in Brazil. Since the constitutional coup in September 2016, that deposed President Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's rightwing politicians have been busy cutting allocations in social sectors, revising labour laws and undermining the progressive Constitution. Social movements such as MST have been in the forefront in creating broad based progressive platforms to oppose the Temer Government. With the rightwing increasingly losing legitimacy, Former President Lula of the Workers Party is widely expected to win the 2018 elections. Watch Now [19] [18] PODCAST: _ZoominKorea_'s Julian Cho and Hyun Lee explore these questions in our pilot podcast, which includes an exclusive interview with women farmers in Seongju and Gimcheon-Lee Hae-kyoung, Kim Jong, Yoon Geum-soon and Ham Soo-yeon-who have been on the front lines of the fight against the THAAD deployment. Listen in [20] 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 [1]here. [1] [21] Follow us on twitter [21] [22] Find us on Facebook [22] [23] Subsribe our Vimeo Channel [23] To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [2] For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org [24] TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [25] To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [2] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/donations/ [2] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en [3] https://www.facebook.com/pg/viacampesinaOFFICIAL/photos/?tab=album&albu… [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-f… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/news-from-the-regions-mainmenu-29/223… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/food-sovereig… [7] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-f… [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/news-from-the-regions-mainmenu-29/223… [9] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/news-from-the-regions-mainmenu-29/223… [10] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/10-yea… [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/biodiversity-… [12] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-t… [13] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/women-mainmen… [14] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/women-mainmen… [15] http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03066150.2016.1276450 [16] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOdRtcJxQeo [17] https://tv.viacampesina.org/SolidarityIsOurWeapon?lang=en [18] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ7bqKtHMek [19] https://tv.viacampesina.org/Brazil-Right-Wing-Government?lang=en [20] https://tv.viacampesina.org/PODCAST-South-Korean-Women-Farmers?lang=en [21] http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina [22] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL/ [23] https://vimeo.com/viacampesina [24] http://www.viacampesina.org [25] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org

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Women of the World, Mobilise this #March8
by La Via Campesina 27 Feb '17

27 Feb '17

WOMEN OF THE WORLD, MOBILISE THIS #MARCH8 [1] For the women of La Via Campesina from all over the world, 8th of March is a day of struggle, resistance and denunciation of the capitalist system, transnational corporations (TNCs), patriarchy and masochism. These oppress, exploit and violate women. It's also a day of solidarity with women's struggles. As peasant women, we are fully committed to the struggle for food sovereignty as a solution for systemic change. This includes our struggle for access to land, water, health and seeds. We use agroecology as a political practice which envisions a world built on the principles of justice and equity. In recent times, we have seen an increase in violence against women. Our struggles and resistances are being criminalised in a context of growing conservatisms, dismantling of public policies and violations of long-fought-for women's rights. The recent grab of power by right-wing governments and heteropatriarchal forces around the world has further imposed an environment where women are violated, oppressed and in some cases assassinated with impunity. In this system, women suffer violence in different ways every day. There are patriarchal forces that confine and bind women in the private sphere, i.e. the home, to care for others. These forces constantly keep us, women, away from political sphere or the social and public life. Therefore, it is necessary for us, peasant women of the world, to take the street on this 8thof March, to mobilise, take action and defend our rights, lands, seeds, healthy food and to raise our voices to say Stop Violence Against Women, in ways that suit each organisation's struggles, goals and local contexts. We are committed to building alliances for the struggles of peasant women against capital and heteropatriarchal violence. Therefore, we also support and join the International Women Strike this 8th of March. STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN! GLOBALISE THE STRUGGLE, GLOBALISE HOPE! ------------------------- TAKE ACTION * Send in your posters, photographs, videos, event plans, press invitations to lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org * You can also create short videos. To know more click here [2] * To download posters, social media cards and more click here [3] CONTACTS: * Rashmi Munikempanna (India) - rashmi.munikempanna(a)gmail.com | +91 8762805428 * Iridiani Seibert (Brazil) - iridianigs(a)yahoo.com.br | +55 61999662804 * Mily Treviño-Sauceda (US) - milyliderescampesinas(a)msn.com | +19515451917 Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/women-mainmen… [2] https://cloud.viacampesina.org/s/YOBf5NNWxuaSPm3/download [3] https://cloud.viacampesina.org/s/YwJIqtryII1Z5cs

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La Via Campesina condemns of the murder of Suleiman Hammad, Palestinian farmer
by La Via Campesina 13 Feb '17

13 Feb '17

CONDEMNATION OF THE MURDER OF SULEIMAN HAMMAD, PALESTINIAN FARMER [1] LA VÍA CAMPESINA strongly condemns the brutal and intentional murder of our comrade Suleiman Hammad, an 85-year-old Palestinian farmer who on February 8th, 2017 was run over by an Israeli settler, while walking to work on his land near Al-Khader Village, south of Bethlehem. We send our condolences and solidarity to his family and our sister organization, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) of Palestine. We urge all people, social movements, and governments to pressure international institutions to help stop the systematic violation of the Right to Life of Palestinian farmers and bring an end to the Israeli Occupation of Palestine. WHAT YOU CAN DO? > * Write a statement against the constant violation of the Right to Life of Palestinian farmers. > * Break the international community's silence and act immediately to protect the Palestinian farmers and put pressure to end the Israeli Occupation. > * Organize protests in front of the Israeli Embassies to stop the Israeli violation against our farmers' rights. > * Other ideas? Keep us posted! Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/news-from-the-regions-mainmenu-29/223…

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La Via Campesina | e-Newsletter | New Year Edition 2017
by La Via Campesina 02 Feb '17

02 Feb '17

La Via Campesina | e-Newsletter | New Year Edition 2017 Donate [1] This edition of the newsletter is the result of a collective effort of organisations, which are part of_ La Via Campesina_ movement worldwide. To subscribe click here [2] REMEMBERING KATHY OZER, A FIGHTER FOR FAMILY FARMERS ------------------------- Kathy didn't just talk and study and explain. She worked! She organized! She advocated for those in need, and while we will feel her loss for some time, we are blessed she came our way. Her work will not be in vain. It will be on-going. She taught us well. Read the full statement issued by NFFC [3] VIA CAMPESINA CONDEMNS RECENT CRIMINALISATION OF TRADITIONAL SEED EXCHANGE IN TANZANIA ------------------------- [4]The recent reports that Tanzanian farmers would face heavy penalties or a long prison sentence if they continue their traditional seed exchange beyond government prescribed areas does not come as a surprise to La Via Campesina Southern and Eastern Africa (LVC SEAf) and its allies. This confirm our fears and what we have been lobbying against:- Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA),[1] the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (NAFSN)[2] and the Common Markets for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)[3] and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)[4] seed harmonisation regulatory systems. The consultations with the smallholder farmers and their various associations was very limited and done on the last minute following an outcry by the Civil Society Organisations. We highlighted that seed policy harmonisation path to promote commercial seed industry will lead to criminalisation of traditional farmer saved seed systems whose foundation is among things underpin by ability to exchange their seeds without restrictions. Read the full statement [4] NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD INDONESIAN PEASANTS' UNION (SPI) DENOUNCE WTO PANEL RULING THAT FAVOR US AND NZ. ------------------------- Denouncing the ruling, Henry Saragih, General Chairperson of Indonesian Peasant's Union and member of ICC (International Coordination Committee) of La Via Campesina, has warned that this would hamper the efforts of the Indonesian government to strengthen and develop self-sufficiency in food and meat production. Read More [5] MILK CRISIS: DEREGULATION NOT IN THE INTEREST OF PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS ------------------------- European milk producers (ECVC and the European Milk Board - EMB) met again in Brussels for a symbolic action on the occasion of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting. Read More [6] COMMISSION AND COUNCIL ONLY ADD TO THE DAIRY OVERFLOW WITH THEIR MILK POWDER ------------------------- On January 23rd, the European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC), along with the European Milk Board (EMB), demonstrated in front of the Justus Lipsius building - Rue de la Loi 175, 1000 Brussels, against the placement of milk powder resulting from public intervention, and in defence of the restoration of regulatory instruments on milk production in the EU. Read More [7] DEMONETISATION IN INDIA: FARMERS' GROUPS WRITE AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER ------------------------- Several farmers' groups in India have written a joint letter to the Prime Minister of India, highlighting the severe distress that exists in the countryside after the Indian Government withdrew nearly 86% of the currency in circulation overnight, in a supposed crackdown on corruption and 'black economy. Bharatiya Kisan Union, a member of La Via Campesina is also a signatory to the letter. Read More [8] "AGROECOLOGY IS A WAY OF LIFE" An in-depth interview with students of agroecologic school EDUCAR - Five young landless people on how they experience this educational process. Read More [9] PROMOTE PEASANT AGROECOLOGY AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO MIGRATION: LVC IN DHAKA ------------------------- La Via Campesina insisted throughout the PGA event in Dhaka that peasant agroecology is a solution to climate change and the need to call upon the nation states who are participating in Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) to rethink the development model they are pursuing. Read More [10] COP22: MARRAKECH DECLARATION ------------------------- For real alternatives to preserve environmental balances and recognise climate justice, For a fair and sustainable future for all peoples. Read More [11] JUSTICE FOR NICINHA AND THE RIVERSIDE COMMUNITIES OF THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON ------------------------- Mother, fisherwoman, activist of Brazil's Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB - Movement of People Affected by Dams) and a courageous woman who was not afraid to denounce the human rights violations committed by the Sustainable Energy of Brazil Consortium (ESBR) against the communities on the banks of the Madeira River, Nicinha was criminally silenced. Read More [12] WOMEN PASTORALISTS: NEGLECTED IN THE 21ST CENTURY ------------------------- In her last regular column for Farming Matters, Elizabeth Mpofu makes a plea for governments to listen to pastoralists, particularly the women among them. Read More [13] "3% OF THE FARMS CONTROL 50% OF THE ARABLE LANDS IN THE EU": KAYA THOMAS ------------------------- At the FAO Workshop on the Implementation of Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT), held in Budapest Hungary, Kaya Thomas from Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (AbL) /ECVC spoke at length about land fragmentation, collapsing rural infrastructure and contradictory land laws. Here is the full text of her speech that she delivered on behalf of CSOs and social movements. Read More [14] TOWARDS A POPULAR VOTE ON FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IN SWITZERLAND ------------------------- Uniterre's quest to write food security into the Swiss constitutionOn the back of La Via Campesina's 4th international meeting in Maputo, the idea to incorporate food sovereignty into the Swiss Constitution took form under the Uniterre committee, a member of European Coordination Via Campesina. Read More [15] FREE TRADE, RURAL CANADA AND HOW TO KEEP CANADA FROM BEING TRUMPED ------------------------- The once mighty farmer cooperative handlers and processors have been dismantled and absorbed into a handful of transnational corporations. 80% of Vancouver's terminal capacity used to be owned and operated by prairie Pools. Now the private trade owns it all. With the Canadian Wheat Board gone there is no real economic participation by farmers beyond the farm gate, nor any referee to discipline the railroads | writes _Jan Slomp_ (President of the National Farmers Union. He farms near Courtenay, BC. Read More [16] DEMONSTRATION IN BERLIN: _WE ARE FED UP WITH AGRO INDUSTRY!_ ------------------------- Free trade agreements such as CETA, TTIP and EPAs with African countries will further liberalize the markets and lead to even greater export dependency. The agricultural policies in Berlin and Brussels need to be held responsible for that. We are farmers, food producers, beekeepers, bakers, gardeners, animal, environmental and nature activists, development workers, critical consumers and committed young people, calling on you to join us as we fight for a more rural and ecological agriculture on the 7th international "We are fed up!" demonstration. Read More [17] TRAINING CAMP ON ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE IN KARNATAKA, INDIA ------------------------- Thousands of farmers came together to attend a class on ecological farming at the Muruga Matha, a religious institution in southern Karnataka, where a five-day intensive study camp on a chemical-free farming method called Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) took place. Read More [18] WHAT DO LOVE LETTERS HAVE TO DO WITH FARMING? ------------------------- Shifting to agroecology and sustainable agriculture isn't just about a change in production models, its as much about changing the relationships we have - including between genders. Read More [19] AGROECOLOGY CAMP IN PUERTO RICO ------------------------- The goal of the encampment was to bring people together to work and learn with one another and study agroecology as a tool of struggle within the current political context. The methodology of the encampment consisted of farm work in the mornings, followed by facilitated discussions on topics including the agrarian history of Puerto Rico, agroecology as a tool for social struggle and gender dynamics within social movements. Read More [20] CALL FOR MORATORIUM ON NEW GENETIC EXTINCTION TECHNOLOGY AT UN CONVENTION ------------------------- At the 2016 UN Convention on Biodiversity held in Cancun Mexico in December 2016, international conservation and environmental leaders called upon governments to establish a moratorium on the controversial genetic extinction technology called gene drives.. Read More [21] REMOVAL OF IMPORT DUTY ON WHEAT WILL DESTROY FARMERS: WARNS BKU, INDIA ------------------------- Bharatiya Kisan Union opposes the removal of import duty on wheat and is instead demanding the government to hike it to 40%. Read More [22] INDONESIA PEASANTS' UNION PROTEST AGAINST CHEAP IMPORT OF POTATOES ------------------------- A large number of small farmers and peasants in Indonesia took out a massive protest against the cheap imports of potatoes, which has thrown the local varieties out of the market and has caused distress to local farmers. Read More [23] "THERE CAN BE NO DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF PEASANTS WITHOUT THE RIGHT TO LAND" ------------------------- Henry Saragih (Serikat Petani - Indonesia, La Via Campesina) and Ramona Duminicioiu (Eco Ruralis - Romania, European Coordination Via Campesina) spoke at the Palais des Nations in Geneva about the reasons why the Right to Land and other Natural Resources is crucial for the Declaration of the Rights of Peasants. Read More [24] DAIRY AND POULTRY IN INDIA—GROWING CORPORATE CONCENTRATION, LOSING GAME FOR SMALL PRODUCERS ------------------------- This case study prepared by Ashelsha Khadse was part of a report What's at Steak, published by Global Forest Coalition at the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Cancun, Mexico in December 2016. Read More [25] GRAPHIC NARRATIVE: TOGETHER WE CAN COOL THE PLANET! Year: 2016 Summary: Based on the video Together we can cool the planet! [26] co-produced by La Vía Campesina and GRAIN in 2015, we have created a comic book [27] to support training activities of social movements and civil society organisations around climate change. This comic book looks at how the industrial food system impacts our climate and also explains what we can do to change course and start cooling the planet. Download the Publication (English) [27] THE NEW EDITION OF THE NYÉLÉNI NEWSLETTER IS NOW ONLINE! Social movements, use agroecology to challenge existing power structures, to resist the multiple attacks on our Mother Earth, and as a tool for the social, economic, cultural, political and ecological transformation of communities and territories. Click here to download the English edition [28] or read it directly in the website at www.nyeleni.org [29] [30] Inspiring visuals from the mass mobilisation against Free Trade Agreements in Europe Watch Now [31] [32] HONEY AT THE TOP is a film about the Sengwer forest people of the Cherangani Hills, Kenya, being evicted from their ancestral land in the name of conservation. Facing international pressure from organisations like the World Bank, a corrupt Kenya Forest Service who are burning their houses, and attempts to turn the forest into a commodity through carbon offsetting schemes, the Sengwer fight to hold onto their culture and resist the evictions. Watch Now [33] [34] _DO NOTHING_, a film by Deadend Left and Amrita Bhoomi follows the story of a couple - KM Raje Gowda and Kalpana who move from chemical farming into Zero Budget Natural Farming (a method developed by Subhash Palekar in India). This is a portrait not just of their farm but also peeks into the Green Revolution, Pesticide Companies, Prof MD Nanjundaswamy's fight against TNCs via Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS). Watch Now [35] [36] After the earthquake April 7, 2016, a mute and silent plot of eviction, displacement and dispossession of the island of Muisne, has been weaving the government of the self-proclaimed "Citizen Revolution" in Ecuador. The declaration, 'high risk zone for its inhabitants' and 'area for the promotion of tourism', is a cruel irony that shows the government opacity and their shady interests. _"WE'RE NOT LEAVING, WE'RE STAYING HERE"_ has been the response of the people, women and men, of the island that multiplies resistance and calls organization for defense of homes and land, that cradle of mangrove that was born. Watch Now [37] 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 [1]here. 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