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[Info EN] Climate: Real problem, false solutions. 2: Agrocarburants
by La Vía Campesina 03 Dec '15

03 Dec '15

Climate: Real problem, false solutions. 2: Agrocarburants [1] Published on Wednesday, 02 December 2015 10:30 [2] TO SOLVE THE GLOBAL WARMING CRISIS, MULTINATIONALS ARE SUGGESTING FALSE SOLUTIONS. FAR FROM SOLVING THE PROBLEM THEY ARE CONTRIBUTING WITH THEIR SHARE OF DAMAGES. THIS ARTICLE IS THE SECOND IN A SERIES OF FIVE TO APPEAR THIS WEEK _ 2/ Agrofuels_ For those advocates of false solutions, they are known as "bio" fuels. The goal is to produce something that would have the very worthy benefit of reducing our dependence on oil, and in so doing lower greenhouse gas emissions, through the creation of energy derived from plants, a limitless resource by all accounts, which is certainly not the case with fossil fuels! _Really?_ The truth is that producing agrofuels involves the use of vast swathes of agricultural land at the expense of food production. Thousands of hectares of fertile land once destined to provide nourishment are repurposed, jeopardising local populations' right to food sovereignty. Furthermore, the expulsion of peasant farmers from these lands, occasionally by violent means represents a denial of people's dignity and rights. As has always been the case, land is being sought everywhere, now the decision has been made to fell the trees of the Amazon and elsewhere. The destruction of these areas, often recognised as major carbon sinks, leads to significant CO2 emissions. Add to that a means of ultra-intensive agriculture, heavily reliant on chemical input, well so much for "bio"… Lastly, the food crisis of 2007-2008 and the food riots they triggered, brought things into sharp focus: agrofuels put intense pressure on food product prices, and multinationals have wasted no time in sizing up the potential rewards. With a notably large presence in this market is the French company Sofiprotéol-Avril managed by Xavier Beulin (President of France's largest agricultural union). Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/-climat… [2] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/2015-12-2-agro-carburants%20en.jpg

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[Info EN] Climate: Real problem, false solutions. 1. GMOs
by La Vía Campesina 01 Dec '15

01 Dec '15

Climate : Real problem, false solutions. 1. GMOs [1] Published on Monday, 30 November 2015 23:43 TO SOLVE THE GLOBAL WARMING CRISIS, MULTINATIONALS ARE SUGGESTING FALSE SOLUTIONS. FAR FROM SOLVING THE PROBLEM THEY ARE CONTRIBUTING WITH THEIR SHARE OF DAMAGES. A BRIEF OVERVIEW FOLLOWS. THIS ARTICLE IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF FIVE TO APPEAR THIS WEEK. According to those who promote them, they are a wonderful dual-power technology. To start with, GMOs would have the ability to slow down climate change by: reducing the use of pesticides, which constitute a significant source of Green House Gases when they are produced and used; and by reducing tillage, which releases carbon emissions. What's even better is that GMOs would allow us to have plants that resist droughts and floods, which therefore adapt to climate change! REALLY? In fact, GMOs' tolerance to one (or many) herbicides or insecticides quickly develops resistance and makes plants adapt, which leads to many unwanted plants and pests appearing in fields. You therefore have to use even more pesticides to get rid of them! Regarding the issue of no-tillage, it doesn't make any sense and doesn't have an impact if it is carried out using an industrial agriculture approach; which favors systems that don't use crop rotation and where herbicides are widespread. In Argentina, no-tillage using Monsanto's Round Up Ready soya beans has destroyed hectares of meadows and forests, therefore needing carbon sinks. Adapting to climate change is the ultimate decoy. It is genetic complexity and rich natural biodiversity that allows nature to adapt, not its destruction! GMOs belong to an industrial agri-food system that patents living beings, monopolizes peasants' knowledge, halts and destroys peasant agricultural practices and the whole chain significantly releases Green House Gases and is devastating for the climate. So it is a great way to make profit off climate change whilst despising peasants! Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/-climat…

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[Info EN] La Via Campesina struggle against femicide and violence against women
by La Vía Campesina 25 Nov '15

25 Nov '15

La Via Campesina struggle against femicide and violence against women [1] Published on Wednesday, 25 November 2015 18:40 [2](Harare, November 25, 2015) On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25th, La Vía Campesina will be mobilizing to strengthen the struggle and resistance around our capitalist, patriarchal system. Taking into account how this system endangers the lives of women, how it treats them as objects, how it exploits women and removes them from their homes, creates wars and militarizes civilian territories, it is urgent to build new human relationships that are founded on gender justice and equal rights. La Vía Campesina is reaffirming its commitment to the "Global Campaign to End Violence Against Women" undertaken in 2008 as a tool for debate and education within the peasant movement. Additionally, it aims to call out the structural violence in society that threatens women around the world. This violence manifests itself in every arena, including the physical, psychological, economic and the political one and it is reinforced daily as if it were something natural and normal. This year, standing together as La Vía Campesina, we raise our voice in opposition to all forms of violence and oppression while bringing attention to the global increase in femicides. We witness with great indignation and anger how the current historical conditions created by the capitalist, patriarchal system promote social practices that permit attacks on women. This happens both in the city and countryside, regardless of social class, political beliefs, religion and age. In addition to a patriarchal, capitalist society where violence is normalized and women's bodies are objectified, the lack of legal protections, breach of laws and lack of public policies worsens the problem. This creates an insecure living situation for women that puts lives at risk and promotes impunity and silence. We are being murdered! Therefore, on this day of action we call on our organizations and our allies to participate in the World March of Women and ask our friends to collectively make visible all forms of violence and oppression that women face. Our goal is to strengthen our collective efforts as well as our hopes to build a new society based on gender justice and dignity for everyone. More information: Photos and audio: Check Out our New Postcard Collection: No More Violence Against Women! [3] Primer: No More Violence Against Women! here. [4] Video: No More Violence Against Women! [5] Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/women-mainmenu… [2] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/2015-11-25-No%20Violence%20against%20wome… [3] http://tv.viacampesina.org/Cunas-Radiales-Basta-de-Violencia?lang=es [4] http://viacampesina.org/downloads/pdf/sp/Cartilla_Basta_de_Violencia_contra… [5] http://tv.viacampesina.org/Basta-de-violencia-contra-las-72?lang=es

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[Info EN] La Via Campesina E-Newsletter November 2015
by La Vía Campesina 24 Nov '15

24 Nov '15

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[Info EN] Syngenta convicted in Brazil
by La Vía Campesina 19 Nov '15

19 Nov '15

HUMAN RIGHTS SYNGENTA CONVICTED IN BRAZIL [1] Published on Thursday, 19 November 2015 23:37 [2] JUSTICE FINDS COMPANY RESPONSIBLE FOR ARMED ATTACK ON ENCAMPED RURAL WORKERS. The court sentence, given by Judge Pedro Ivo Moreiro, of the 1st Civil Court of Cascavel, was published in the Paraná State Official Gazette this Tuesday (17). The sentence rules that the company shall pay compensation to Keno's family and to Isabel for the moral and material damage it caused. The case was taken to court in 2010, as an attempt to get a response from the State regarding Syngenta being responsible for the attack perpetrated by private armed militia. The sentence has been well received by social movements and human rights organizations, since making companies accountable for human rights violations is a challenge of global dimensions. "Transnational companies currently have considerable freedom to operate on a transnational basis, but there are no national or international norms or mechanisms sufficient to oblige companies to respect human rights or to hold them accountable for cases of human rights violations. In this case, Syngenta having been found responsible is an exception to the rule", explains Terra de Direitos' lawyer, Fernando Prioste, who has been accompanying the case. ABOUT THE SENTENCE The judge found that the fact that took place on Syngenta's property was nothing less than a massacre. In his sentence the judge states that "to refer to what happened as a confrontation is to close one's eyes to reality, since […] there is no doubt that, in truth, it was a massacre disguised as repossession of property". The version put forward by Syngenta was thus rejected by the Judiciary Branch. The company claimed that the attack that took place in 2007 was the result of a confrontation between militiamen and members of Via Campesina. In its defence, Syngenta acknowledged the illegality of the action of the private militia, as well as the ideological nature of the action against Via Campesina and MST. The company stated that "more than protection of farm properties, it is clear that the militia's objective was to defend an ideological position contrary to that of the MST [Landless Rural Workers' Movement], so as to propagate the ideia that every action results in a reaction." With this statement the transnational company attempted to avoid its responsibility, claiming that the attack was not made by the company it hired, but rather by militia acting on the orders of landowners. Notwithstanding, in his sentence the judge recognized that the "bad choice in outsourcing security services, as well as the indirect funding of illicit activities, is a factor that generates civil liability". Moreover, the judge vehemently condemned the attack by stating that "however reproachable and illegitimate the occupation of the property may have been, nothing justifies taking the law into one's own hands, imposing the death penalty on the occupants, rather the legal means for resolving the conflict should have been sought since, after all, the legal system considers the arbitrary exercising of one's own judgements to be a crime". As such the court sentence not only reaffirms the ideological nature of the militia's action, but also links Syngenta with that action. The court sentence is not definitive. Syngenta, through its defence lawyer René Ariel Dotti, can appeal to the Paraná State Court of Appeals. In the view of Terra de Direitos' lawyer, Fernando Prioste, the Appeal Court is expected to maintain the sentence in order to re-establish the truth about what happened in October 2007. "There is strong evidence against the company", he notes. "If Syngenta were to be absolved this would be tantamount to the justice system acquiescing to massacres like the one that occurred in this case". EXCEPTION TO THE RULE [3]When asked about the sentence, Isabel Nascimento dos Santos said she was pleased, much more than merely because of the financial compensation. Seriously injured during the attacked idealized by Syngenta in 2007, the rural worker highlighted the court's recognition of the company's guilt in the case. "Now I can hold my head up, and try to forget a little of the suffering we've faced. Is the battle over? Never! We shall carry on, continuing Keno's work as well". Eduardo Rodrigues, MST representative in the Cascavel region, stresses the importance of the sentence. According to him, the impunity of large companies that violate rights is common, and at the same time the movement's members are frequently criminalized for their struggle in opposition to the agribusiness model. "The attack did not take place unbeknown to the multinational company", the farm worker denounces. "They not only provided institutional support, but financial and logistic support as well." Eduardo hopes that this sentence will be extended to other cases in which companies will be held accountable for the attacks they commit. "I hope this sentence will strengthen our struggle, giving visibility to our companions". The many obstacles existing to ensure that companies respect human rights and are held accountable for the violations they commit, have lead the United Nations Organization (UN) to discuss the establishment of a binding international treaty creating prevention, redress and accountability mechanisms with regard to the issue of companies and human rights. The UN working group on the establishment of an international treaty regarding companies and human rights will visit Brazil in December. It is expected that the UN representatives will use case convicting Syngenta as a reference for holding accountable large companies that commit human rights violations through outsourced companies. ABOUT THE CASE On October 21st 2007 around 40 gunmen from the "NF Segurança" company attacked the Via Campesina encampment located at Syngenta's genetically modified food experiment site at Santa Tereza do Oeste (PR). The site had been occupied once more that morning by around 150 members of Via Campesina and the Landless Rural Workers' Movement (MST). The occupants were denouncing illegal experiments on genetically modified corn in a protective boundary zone of the Iguaçu National Park. Via Campesina members were also seeking to denounce biotechnology companies that work so as to impose a farming model that causes environmental harm through the use of genetically modified crops and pesticides, making it infeasible for self-employed rural workers, indigenous peoples and traditional communities to produce healthy foodstuffs. Heavily armed NF Segurança militiamen invaded the site firing their guns towards the people who were occupying it. According to information provided by Via Campesina, the attack had been arranged by Syngenta which used NF Segurança's services, together with the Western Region Rural Society (SRO), and the Rural Producers' Movement (MPR), which has links with agribusiness. There are signs that the security company was going to be closed down and that it hired security guards illegally to perform attack operations. In addition to Keno, the gunmen shot and beat up Isabel and injured a further three farm workers. With a 19% share of the agrochemical market and the third highest profits from seed sales worldwide, coming only after Monsanto and Dupont, Syngenta, along with other transnational companies, exacerbates the scenario of rural violence by imposing a farming model based on monoculture, gross exploitation of farm workers, environmental degradation, use of pesticides and private appropriate of natural and genetic resources. The Valmir Mota de Oliveira ("Keno") Agroecology Research Centre has been set up in the area where the facts occurred. >> Find out more about the case [4] >> Terra de Direitos has developed guide [5] on the issue of making companies accountable for human rights violations, to assist with assessing possibilities of taking legal action against companies on the international level. Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights-m… [2] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/Syngenta%20Condenada.png [3] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/Keno.jpg [4] http://terradedireitos.org.br/2013/03/02/syngenta-parana/ [5] http://terradedireitos.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Guia-transnacionai…

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[Info EN] “Peasant Agroecology for Food Sovereignty and Mother Earth, experiences of La Via Campesina”. Now available!
by La Vía Campesina 09 Nov '15

09 Nov '15

“PEASANT AGROECOLOGY FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND MOTHER EARTH, EXPERIENCES OF LA VIA CAMPESINA”. NOW AVAILABLE! [1] Published on Monday, 09 November 2015 23:47 Our Solutions to the COP21 - New Notebook La Via Campesina [2]TITLE: "Peasant Agroecology for Food Sovereignty and Mother Earth, experiences of La Via Campesina" SUMMARY: La Via Campesina is pleased to present study booklet number 7: "Peasant Agroecology for Food Sovereignty and Mother Earth, experiences of La Via Campesina", which is the result of the collective efforts of various organizations from diverse regions including Africa, America, Europe and Asia. These groups make up part of our worldwide movement. >From their distinct territories they shaped their experiences in agroecology training, organizing, production and marketing of healthy foods into 10 articles. This set of experiences represents a dynamic range of practices and knowledge, both for training within our movement and as a mechanism for additional knowledge exchange and rural-city dialogue. This book also seeks to provide visibility of advocacy for Food Sovereignty which creates space for reflection, with examples from academic institutions, political allies and friends. We propose Peasant Agroecology as a way of production for rural communities, where Food Sovereignty constitutes a principle of life. DATE: November 2015 LANGUAGE: English (Also available in Spanish and French) EDITING: La Vía Campesina DOWNLOAD HERE. [3] Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/publications-mainmenu-30/1899-peasant-… [2] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/Afiche%20Pub%20Agroecologa%20English.jpg [3] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/stories/pdf/CUADERNO%207%20LA%20VIA%20CAM…

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[Info EN] Silence the Guns, Stop the Killings!
by La Vía Campesina 29 Oct '15

29 Oct '15

Silence the Guns, Stop the Killings! [1] Published on Thursday, 29 October 2015 18:16 (Turkey, October 29, 2015) We peasants are the ones who watch over a plant as it comes into leaf and grows tall; who plant seeds, seedlings and saplings in the earth; who are filled with joy when we observe their healthy progress; who lose sleep when they fall sick; who care for our animals like our children. Yet now, we are losing sleep over events in the Middle East and Turkey, we are following developments with great concern. Why? Because war strikes small farmers first. Peasants are being forced to abandon their villages and land. Peasant families are not only losing their land, but also their lives, and they are being forced to migrate. Forests are now being destroyed, the water is being polluted and nature faces ruin. Each new dawn brings more news of massacres. News of massacres in Turkey have been added to the already devastating news of massacres in Syria and Iraq. In June, a bomb exploded in Suruç the midst of a gathering of young people who wanted to take some toys to children in Kobanî, and 33 of them lost their lives. Instead of finding and capturing the perpetrators of the Suruç Massacre by the government, we observe an increasing of police operations targeting progressive and democratic forces. Young people are dying: It makes no difference whether they are soldiers or civilians, Kurdish or Turkish. The peace process has now been declared to have been put "on ice". The policies of the current government are dividing the people in Turkey along lines of race, nationality and religious denomination. Every single social demand, every step for democratic progress is being stifled under oppression. The AKP government and the President have failed to accept the outcome of the June 7, 2015 general election, taking advantage of anti-democratic laws and legal loopholes. The formation of a new government has been blocked; and the President has announced a new snap election. Then, bombs exploded on 10 October in the midst of a peace rally that opposed the policies that rapidly polarize the country and lead to a civil and international war. The rally aimed to raise the voice of peace over war and was organized by DISK (Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions), KESK (Confederation of Public Workers Unions), TMMOB (Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects), and TTB (Turkish Medical Association). Dozens of mass organizations, including Çiftçi-Sen, and left political parties supported the rally. According to official figures, 97 peace defenders were murdered and 400 were injured in the capital city of the country in front of the eyes of the state authorities. In light of recent events, we demand that the international community and everyone across the world who cares for justice and peace put pressure on the AKP government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to abandon their policy of war and anti-democratic practices to Silence the Guns and Stop the Killings! _Çiftçi-Sen (Small Farmer Unions Confederation in Turkey)_ Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights-m…

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[Info EN] La Via Campesina - Electronic Newsletter, September 2015
by La Vía Campesina 21 Oct '15

21 Oct '15

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[Info EN] "Together, we can cool the planet!" - full video
by La Vía Campesina 16 Oct '15

16 Oct '15

"Together, we can cool the planet!" - full video [1] Published on Friday, 16 October 2015 14:55 [2](Harare, October 16, 2015) For many years, La Vía Campesina and GRAIN have been telling the world about how the agroindustrial food system causes half of all greenhouse gas emissions. But the world's governments are refusing to face these problems head on, and the Paris Summit in December is approaching without any effective commitment to doing so on their part. This new video (Together, we can cool the planet [3]!) by La Vía Campesina and GRAIN gives you the information you need to understand how the agroindustrial food system is impacting our climate, and at the same time what we can do to change course and start cooling the planet. And every single one of us is part of the solution! In the Americas, Asia, Europe and Africa, for many years, we have been criticizing false solutions to climate change like GMOs, the "green" economy, and "climate-smart" agriculture. No two ways about it: the solution to the climate crisis is in the hands of small farmers, along with consumers who choose agroecological products from local markets. This is the message we're taking to the Paris Climate Change Conference this December. Join the campaign! Share this video! Together, we can cool the planet! [3] More information at: http://tv.viacampesina.org [4] http://viacampesina.org [5] http://www.grain.org [6] Food and Climate: https://www.grain.org/article/categories/526-food-and-climate [7] Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL [8] @via_campesina [9] facebook.com/GRAIN.org [10]; @GRAIN_org Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/-climat… [2] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/2015-10-15%20GrainLVC%20videoccen%201.png [3] http://tv.viacampesina.org/Together-we-can-cool-the-planet?lang=en [4] http://tv.viacampesina.org/ [5] http://viacampesina.org/ [6] http://www.grain.org [7] https://www.grain.org/article/categories/526-food-and-climate [8] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL [9] https://twitter.com/via_campesina [10] http://facebook.com/GRAIN.org

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[Info EN] Brazil: MPA holds a historic peasant congress to build food sovereignty
by La Vía Campesina 15 Oct '15

15 Oct '15

Brazil: MPA holds a historic peasant congress to build food sovereignty [1] Published on Wednesday, 14 October 2015 20:58 [2] More than 4 thousands people, from all Brazilian States, have left their homes and farms to join caravans from different regions of the country towards Sao Paulo, to attend the First National Peasants Congress of MPA, the Small-Farmers Movement of Brazil, member of La Via Campesina. The symbolic Pavilion of Vera Cruz, the same place where the biggest trade union in Brazil, the CUT, and the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores) were founded, decades ago. MPA has mobilised thousands of rural women and men to come together and consolidate all the work the movement has been doing in the last 20 years and reaffirm their class identity as peasants. MPA is re-affirming at this congress the strategic alliance between rural peasants and urban workers. "This congress has the task to put together what we have built so far in various areas such as health, food production, work on seeds, youth and organisational strengthening. Now, we want to take a great step and consolidate our understanding as a peasant class that we need to articulate with the workers class", said Isabel Ramalho, from MPA National Board. For Deolinda Carrizo, representative of CLOC-Via Campesina, this Congress represents the strength of an organised peasantry, not only in Brazil, but in the world. "This congress represents the struggle for Food Sovereignty, represents the call and action in defence of land, in order to fulfil the social mission of feeding the world. It is an inspiring event", said Carrizo. Former Brazil president, Inacio Lula da Silva, attended the opening of the Congress. Lula started by stressing that the congress is a gold moment in the history of Brazil. In his speech, Lula reminded the participants that the Peasant (and workers) struggle is not only a struggle for land and food. "As small-scale producers you are a social, economic but also political agents. Your struggle is in fact a political one". Lula said that, to call on Brazil Social Movements to take clear positions when it comes to defend what he called "social revolution" that Brazil is reported to have achieved in the last decade, by alleviating poverty in millions of people. Lula mentioned the Bolsa Familia programme that is believed to have taken 36 million people out of poverty in ten years. One of the "achievements" Lula and the current minister of agrarian development, Patrus Ananias, spoke about in the opening of the Congress is the famous Food Purchase Programme, in Brazil known as Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos, that requires that municipalities and federal facilities (hospital, military headquarters, prisons, university restaurants and care centres) purchase at least 30% of the total supply of foodstuffs from small-scale family producers. "This program is a clear signal that our government is strongly committed to your work as small-scale producers", stressed Lula. Although acknowledging the efforts of the former president's government in the social transformation, Isabel Ramalho of MPA seems not to be completely impressed. "It is true that so many people came out of poverty in Brazil, but social and economic inequalities are still scaring. Solving individual problems is not enough. We need a structural transformation in this country", she said. MOBILIZING THE PEASANTRY TO CHALLENGE AGRIBUSINESS MPA is mobilising peasants to take the task of building a peasant agricultural project that fights and challenges the agribusiness model that is still powerful in Brazil. "This same government has also allowed the progress of the capital and of the agribusiness model", said Isabel Ramalho. Brazil is one of the top agribusiness drivers in the world. The country has become the world´s top agricultural exporters. In 2012 Brazil surpassed the United State as the largest buyer of pesticides for its agriculture. Agribusiness, which includes biofuels, is responsible for 27% of the country's GDP and corresponds to at least 37% of the Brazilian export. The First National Congress takes place in a context of a political turbulence in Brazil. The gains that former president Lula talked about may risk being eroded Brazilian President, Workers Party Dilma Rousseff, is facing strong criticism from conservative right wing sectors. In the last years, many street protests called even for the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. Brazilian social movements, however, have taken the stand to support Dilma Rousseff since, although not always satisfied with the government policies, "we should not allow a step back on what we have achieved in this country", said Willian Clementino, from National Confederation of Farmworkers. _The communication team of the MPA Peasants Congress_ Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/news-from-the-regions-mainmenu-29/1882… [2] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/stories/agrarianreform/congress-mpa.jpg

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