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[Info EN] SADC: Building unity and solidarity to effect a system change
by La Vía Campesina 15 Aug '14

15 Aug '14

SADC: BUILDING UNITY AND SOLIDARITY TO EFFECT A SYSTEM CHANGE [1] Published on Saturday, 16 August 2014 01:55 _VIA CAMPESINA, RURAL WOMEN ASSEMBLY, PEOPLE'S DIALOGUE AND WOMIN_ Bulawayo, 14 August 2014- Women from all the corners of the Southern African region descended on Bulawayo to participate in a parallel of the SADC Heads of State Summit, the People Summit, which runs from the 14th to the 16th. They have converged to share their experiences on how they have been affected either by decisions made by governments with little consultations with the people or the inherited colonial agro-mining complex, which continues to grab land for extractive purposes. More importantly, the women have gathered to build and strengthen their solidarity, forge strong alliances and commit to the struggle to push for a system of change. Today, on the first day, the meeting was energized with a mystica, singing and a drama depicting both the challenges faced by most rural women (evictions from land, loss of livelihoods etc) and the victory that comes with unity of purpose and solidarity. Solidarity messages were expressed for the people of Palestine who currently suffer gross human rights violation from Israel's massacre of innocent civilians. Also, solidarity was offered to the many political activists imprisoned in Swaziland for expressing their political views. Mercia Andrews of Rural Women's Assembly, called on the women to build a strong unity and solidarity to strengthen the resistance and the voice of the people."Movements bring change! They change the society and the country! Only organized movements, women can change our situation", she said. Women are the majority food producers and also constitute the majority of the electorate in Southern Africa and Africa. Grace Tepula from Zambia urged the women to use their majority power to effect change. She said, "A woman is a woman, a mother. No woman, no food. Women should own land and be given the title to it". Elizabeth Mpofu, general coordinator of La Via Campesina emphasized that we should continue to build resistance so that one day change would come. She further stressed the importance of land and food sovereignty for the lives of rural people and the need to guard against GMO seeds and policies such as the seed harmonization, which destroy the people's livelihoods. This year's SADC Heads of State Summit focuses on natural resources and value addition, but not on the worsening situation affecting communities. Samantha Hargreaves from WoMin (Women in Mining) called on the gathered people to join the alliance to fight against extractive mining companies which steal from communities and pollute their environment. Farai Maguwu said that instead of the western governments giving Africa development aid to end poverty, they should stop stealing natural resources from the continent and allow its people to determine their own development path. Thus, there is a need to stop transnational corporations from stealing African natural resources. A campaign to dismantle corporate power and to stop their impunity is underway and aims to build people's sovereignty. "Such sovereignty is critical in our struggle for a better life for all people", said Brid Brennan, from the Transnational Institute. In the words of Elizabeth Mpofu, which resonated with all the speakers, "We are not here to celebrate but to know who we are and what we are fighting against. We are here to strengthen our resistance and no one is going to come and rescue us from these challenges." The People's Summit is not just a gathering that follows the Heads of States but a growing force from below which seeks and envisages a better tomorrow characterized by equality and equity for all. This movement and its voice continue to grow and cannot be ignored by governments. WATCH THE VIDEO: SADC PEOPLES SUMMIT - WHY ARE WE HERE? [2] Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/news-from-the-regions-mainmenu-29/1649… [2] https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=L75VfUGYWB0

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[Info EN] Farmers, rural women and mining impacted communities at the 2014 SADC People´s Summit to propose people-based regionalism
by La Vía Campesina 08 Aug '14

08 Aug '14

FARMERS, RURAL WOMEN AND MINING IMPACTED COMMUNITIES AT THE 2014 SADC PEOPLE´S SUMMIT TO PROPOSE PEOPLE-BASED REGIONALISM [1] Media Advisory VIA CAMPESINA, RURAL WOMEN ASSEMBLY, PEOPLE´S DIALOGUE AND WOMIN [2]Harare, 08 August 2014 - Hundreds of people from grassroots organizations, including small-scale farmers, rural women, farm workers and members of mining impacted communities from Southern African countries will be at the 2014 SADC Peoples Summit. The summit takes place in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe from 14 to 16 August, 2014. Members of Via Campesina Africa, the Rural Women's Assembly (RWA), WoMin and the People's Dialogue will be strongly present in Bulawayo, to build alternatives and propose a regionalism that prioritizes people, not corporations. Caravans of African farmers, rural women and mining impacted communities from Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Lesotho, the DRC, Malawi and other countries will unite with Zimbabwean organisations and movements in Bulawayo to demand social and economic justice, based on the people´s perspectives. The southern African region is faced with ongoing challenges and deepening crisis as a direct consequence of neo-liberal economic policies. Transnational corporate capture and control of people's basic means of production (land, water, seed, etc.) is escalating, with the complicity of political and government elites. Natural resources are increasingly being privatized due to the myriad of investment agreements our governments have entered into with corporations, western governments and the "newcomer" emerging economies, like the BRICS. Land has been grabbed at a significant scale in almost all SADC countries and the agribusiness model is destroying peasant-family agriculture, the only proven sustainable and ecologically friendly model that produces most of the food for SADC countries. Extractives corporations are grabbing land and water, and polluting the soil, air and water that rural farmers rely on to grow food and sustain livelihoods. Ana Paula Tauacale, a farmer and leader of Mozambique Union of Famers, UNAC - member of Via Campesina - said that in the case of Mozambique, "land is being given away to foreigners to grow crops for export in the expense of dispossession of local small-scale farmers. This is the case of the ProSavana in Nacala Corridor", a programme to increase crop output by bringing in large-scale agribusinesses. Ana Paula added saying that "we need to defend small-scale and family based agriculture in our countries since we have proven that we can feed the world". Seeds, our common heritage, are now also within the radar of corporate control and under threat from the proposed seed protocols under the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The former seek to ease the flow and marketing of commercial seeds in the eastern and southern African regional markets and the latter, to harmonize the SADC region seed policy on Plant Variety Protection (PVP) basis respectively. These new laws will, with time, open up the whole region to transgenic seeds (GMOs), which have found space in South Africa and recently in Malawi. Traditional seeds will be pushed out and smallholder farmers' use and exchange of such seeds will be criminalized. Mercia Andrews from the Rural Women's Assembly added: "we need to fight for peoples' livelihoods, which will benefit the home market, organically linked to agriculture and manufacturing industries. This will create jobs not only for the urbanites but also for the rural communities and allow an equitable development within the SADC countries. The SADC people need to be free to self determine their destiny in all spheres of life (social, political and economic)". Samantha Hargreaves from WoMin said "we call for a just transition to an alternative development model, which protects and defends the land and natural resources upon which rural communities depend, which is based on a transformed renewable energy system, and in which decisions to extract are made by the people and not by the transnational corporations and their lackeys in our governments". In Bulawayo, Via Campesina, the RWA, the People's Dialogue and WoMin will have self-organized events addressing important themes, such as Public Policies for Food Sovereignty in SADC, Tax justice to stem the illicit flow of funds by crooked transnational corporations, and Alternative development paths to address the devastating environmental and social impacts of extractives industries. Solidarity exchanges to local communities will be undertaken, and the Southern Africa People's Tribunal on transnational corporations will also be launched. These activities will help build a consciousness within a broader constituency, which will be the locomotive of our struggle for popular sovereignty, popular livelihoods and popular democracy. CONTACTS FOR PRESS (FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PHONE INTERVIEWS): Boaventura Monjane, Via Campesina - Email: boa.monjane(a)gmail.com - Phone: +263 782049558 (From August 11) Nyoni Ndabezinhle, Via Campesina - Email: nyoni.ndabezinhle(a)viacampesina.org - Phone: +263 772 441 909 Thandiwe Chidavarume, Women and Land Zimbabwe - Email: wlz(a)mweb.co.zw - Phone: +263 77 328 9764 Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/news-from-the-regions-mainmenu-29/1647… [2] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/stories/logo/via-mediaadvisory.jpg

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[Info EN] Newsletter La Via Campesina -July 2014
by La Vía Campesina 04 Aug '14

04 Aug '14

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[Info EN] Urgent Call to Action in Solidarity with the Palestinian People: We Condemn the Murder of Family Members of UAWC Leader and Call for Justice!
by La Vía Campesina 25 Jul '14

25 Jul '14

HUMAN RIGHTS URGENT CALL TO ACTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE: WE CONDEMN THE MURDER OF FAMILY MEMBERS OF UAWC LEADER AND CALL FOR JUSTICE! [1] Published on Friday, 25 July 2014 17:27 AND TO DEMAND AN END TO THE WAR OF OCCUPATION IN GAZA BY THE STATE OF ISRAEL AND ITS INDISCRIMINATE TARGETING OF PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS! (Harare, July 24, 2014) On Sunday evening (July 20), the Israeli air force struck the house of Mr. Saad Ziada killing six members of his family (his mother, three brothers, a sister-in-law and a nephew). At the moment of the attack, Mr. Ziada was away from his home, which saved his life. Saad Ziada is a leader of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), a member of La Via Campesina. This event occurred two days after La Via Campesina issued a solidarity call condemning the Israeli government's illegal war of occupation on Gaza and its targeting of Palestinian civilians which constitutes a war crime, violating international law. This act is clear evidence that the Palestinian people are facing tremendous threats and extrajudicial killings whilst the disgraceful silence of the international political community continues. Meanwhile social movements globally have denounced this recent expression of collective punishment of the Palestinians in Gaza. This assault in which 80% of fatalities have been Palestinian civilians, along with the on-going siege and closure of Gaza, constitute a clear violation of international humanitarian law. La Via Campesina expresses solidarity with Mr. Saad Ziada and demands justice for Ziada's and all families who have fallen victim to such gruesome, targeted attacks. We extend this solidarity and our sense of outrage to these families - children, women and men -who are killed every day, victims of the incessant crimes against humanity wrought by the Israeli State. We call upon our member organizations, our allies, social movements and the international community in general to: -Demand justice for Saad Ziada, his family and all those who have lost loved ones, have been severely wounded, have been displaced and have had their possessions and goods destroyed by the Israeli occupation and deliberate military targeting of civilians. -Join the various acts of protests that social movements from around the world are organizing to demand an end to this brutal war against the people of Palestine, an end to the Israeli occupation, and to actively demand respect for international law and treaties including the 4th Geneva Convention relative to the protection of civilians in times of war. -Join the call issued by public figures and the intellectual community, including Nobel laureates, to demand that international institutions denounce the illegal Israeli occupation and aggression that violated international and humanitarian law. -The State of Israel could not continue its assault on Gaza if the U.S. government did not approve it. The U.S. government gives Israel upwards of $3 billion a year in military aid, which it uses to procure weaponry from multinational corporations that profit from this ongoing war. We support the calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions of products and corporations that profit from Israel's continued occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. La Via Campesina International Peasants Movement Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights-m…

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[Info EN] Via Campesina solidarity call with the people of Palestine
by La Vía Campesina 18 Jul '14

18 Jul '14

LA VIA CAMPESINA INTERNATIONAL PEASANT MOVEMENT SOLIDARITY CALL WITH THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE La Via Campesina International -representing around 200 million farmers from 73 different countries around the world- condemns the Israeli war on Gaza and the crimes against the Palestinians that violate the international and humanitarian laws. Since July 7th 2014, 214 Palestinians were killed, including at least 164 civilians of whom 44 were children and 29 women. 1,585 Palestinians were injured of whom 435 are children and 282 are women. 1,660 homes were destroyed or severely damaged in Gaza directly displacing 9,900 persons. 22,600 were displaced people hosted at UNRWA schools. 900,000 people are without water supply due to inability to repair and operate infrastructure. LVC calls the International organizations and movements in addition to the activists around the world to pressure the policy makers in their countries to stop the war on Gaza immediately , hold Israel accountable for its crimes against civilians and end the collective punishment policy of the siege on Gaza, This letter is an invitation to take an action to save the Palestinian farmers and fishermen. La Via Campesina International Peasant Movement

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[Info EN] La Via Campesina calls for the International Treaty on seeds to reject biopiracy
by La Vía Campesina 07 Jul '14

07 Jul '14

LA VIA CAMPESINA PRESS RELEASE LA VIA CAMPESINA CALLS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL TREATY ON SEEDS TO REJECT BIOPIRACY (Geneva, 7th of July 2014) The International Treaty on seeds (ITPGRFA) celebrated on July 3 in Geneva its 10th anniversary. It has been recognizing for a decade now farmers' rights to use, exchange and sell their seeds. By organizing the sharing of seeds gathered from peasants' field in 131 countries, it makes a critical contribution to global food security. Given climate change is on the rise, these local seeds are often the only ones guaranteeing harvests, while varieties selected in laboratories to work with chemical inputs are unable to adapt to any unexpected stress. The success of the Treaty should not however mask its broken promises. The industry has still to service the debt contracted when "borrowing" for free seeds from peasants to create its commercial seeds. As such, the Treaty is unable to fulfil the sharing of benefits. Meantime, peasants lose their right to use the seeds they generously gave to the Treaty, as the industry contaminates these seeds with its engineered genes or patent them based on their natural features. Farmers' rights cannot remain a statement of general intent and if the Treaty persists to trample on these rights, farmers cannot carry on to graciously give their seeds. Without effective safeguard mechanisms for farmers' rights and fair benefit sharing, along with concrete measures against patents on life, the seeds bank of the Treaty will become biopirates' commons. This Treaty must change, and La Via Campesina is ready to assist. More on www.viacampesina.org

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[Info EN] A victory on our path to an international declaration on the rights of peasants
by La Vía Campesina 07 Jul '14

07 Jul '14

PRESS RELEASE - LA VIA CAMPESINA A VICTORY ON OUR PATH TO AN INTERNATIONAL DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF PEASANTS (Geneva, June 27th, 2014) On June 27th, the United Nations Human Rights Council Assembly passed a resolution authorising the continuation of the process of drafting an international declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas. Bolivia is in charge of starting up informal consultations between States and civil society as well as organising the second session of of the Intergovernmental Open-Ended Working Group, which is scheduled to take place in November 2014. The declaration project originated with the Via Campesina, and it is the fruit of ten years of work on the part of this international movement which is comprised of more than 164 organisations in 73 countries. The Via Campesina set itself the task of categorising the forms of discrimination suffered by people working in rural areas (peasants, agricultural workers, nomads and pastoralists, fishers, indigenous peoples, landless workers, etc.) and, with the support of organisations such as FIAN-international and CETIM (the Europe-Third World Centre), of defining the specific human rights applicable to their situation. In March 2012, the Assembly of the Human Rights Council accepted the final text resulting from a series of studies carried out by the Council's Consultative Committee. In September 2012, the Assembly voted to create an Intergovernmental Open-Ended Working Group that was given the responsibility of drafting a declaration on the basis of the preliminary version annexed to the final study. In July 2013, the intergovernmental group held its first working session. Thus, at the Human Rights Council's 26th session, the member states voted on the resolution (for the renewal of the intergovernmental group's mandate) that was presented by Bolivia. 29 countries supported the resolution; 13 countries abstained; and 5 countries voted against the resolution_ (*)_. For the Via Campesina these figures, which show growing support for the declaration process, are an indication of success (In 2012, there had been 23 votes in favour, 16 abstentions, and 9 in opposition). It should be noted that countries such as France, Austria, Germany, Italy, and Ireland, which had previously opposed the resolution, this time took the option of abstaining. This was not only the result of intense advocacy with their respective governments by the peasant organisations of the European Coordination of the Via Campesina and by civil society organisations, but it was also an encouraging sign that governments are looking upon peasant agriculture more favourably. The various Via Campesina delegations carried out their advocacy work during the session. In the coming months, the Via Campesina and its allies will redouble their efforts to overcome the continuing reticence of certain States and to convince them of the need for a declaration of this kind. At a global level, this international declaration project will serve to protect peasant agriculture as a whole - an agricultural model that produces 70% of the world's food on barely 25% of the land. The Via Campesina is defending small scale peasant agriculture both in the South and in the North of the globe. The Via Campesina expresses its thanks to Bolivia, South Africa, Cuba, and Ecuador for their efforts within the Human Rights Council to bring about constructive advances in the work on this project. _(*) VOTES BY COUNTRY:_ YES (29): Algeria, Argentina, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Ethiopa, Gabon, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Vietnam ABSTAIN (13): Austria, Botswana, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Maldives, Mexico, Montenegro, Macedonia NO (5): Czech Republic, Rep. of Korea, Romania, United Kingdom, United States of America --

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[Info EN] Newsletter La Vía Campesina - June 2014
by La Vía Campesina 01 Jul '14

01 Jul '14

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[Info EN] La Via Campesina welcomes the UN Human Rights Council move to challenge corporate impunity
by La Vía Campesina 30 Jun '14

30 Jun '14

_LA VIA CAMPESINA PRESS RELEASE_ LA VIA CAMPESINA WELCOMES THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL MOVE TO CHALLENGE CORPORATE IMPUNITY (Geneva, 27th of June 2014) La Via Campesina welcomes the resolution approved at the UN Human Rights Council to draw up a binding treaty to punish the crimes of transnational companies (TNC's). _"This is a victory for peasants, who in most cases are unable to access legal systems to take actions against the impunity of TNCs. Also, looking at the current agricultural activities that have been captured by multinational companies, the instrument will be a great tool for the victims to file cases against land-grabbing by TNCs. We thank the initiating countries and the countries that voted in favour."_ said Themba Chauke from the South African Landless Peoples Movement, a member of La Via Campesina. Violence, evictions, intimidation, the criminalisation of struggles as well as assassinations of farmers who are defending their livelihood, their land and their communities have become common practice used by agribusiness, TNCs, local elites and governments. This violence is linked to the privatization of nature, the concentration of land and the increased corporate control of the food chain. Transnational companies such as Nestlé, Syngenta, Bayer... have been responsible for numerous crimes such as violent land evictions, abuse and contamination of the commons (seeds, water, soil...), the promotion of unhealthy junk food and the increased use of agrotoxins in food production. The industrial food system exploits agricultural and food workers, especially the undocumented workers. The approval of the resolution is positive progress towards balancing the power and accountability of these companies, and reducing their global impunity. Social movements and NGOs have successfully brought pressure to bear on States to approve the tabled resolution._ "The goal of the mobilisation is not only to put pressure on the States to put in place laws to control companies and to safeguard rights, but also to denounce the "architecture of impunity" that protects TNCs operations through aspects such as economic agreements, a long history of structural adjustment imposed by the IMF, and the Free Trade Agreements that are all harmful to human rights,"_ said Leandro Scalabrin of the Movement of victims of Dams in Brazil. The work to develop alternative ways of organising our societies in a fair and just manner continues. As a peasant organisation La Via Campesina remains committed to promoting food sovereignty and to continue working in peasant communities to intensify the struggle against corporate impunity. CONTACTS: Themba Chauke - Landless Peoples' Movement South Africa: +41766499591 or +393510683306, Philippe Sauvin - l'autre syndicat, Switzerland: +41 22 362 69 87 or +41 79 509 31 10 --

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[Info EN] La Vía Campesina’s position on the International Year of Family Farming
by La Vía Campesina 25 Jun '14

25 Jun '14

PRESS RELEASE - LA VÍA CAMPESINA LA VÍA CAMPESINA’S POSITION ON THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FAMILY FARMING - 2014 A SPACE FOR THE PROMOTION OF CONCRETE POLICIES ON PEASANT FAMILY FARMING (Harare, June 2014) La Vía Campesina defines participation in the International Year of Family Farming, propelled by the UN in 2014, as the creation of a space for discussion and collective action to to push Food Sovereignty that has peasants and small farmers as a basis. All throughout the world they continue to grow and distribute healthy, self-produced food in their towns, in stark contrast to the commercial food industry, whose priorities are profit and speculation and whose strategy is to make agriculture increasingly dependent on agro-toxics, increasing their profits through the sale of herbicides, whilst damaging and contaminating natural resources. We have witnessed a profound food crisis, which has brought attention to peasant based food production and the eradication of hunger within the UN's agenda. The UN has recognised the crucial role that male and female peasants play in this arduous task. During the International Year of Family Farming, La Vía Campesina looks to offer political proposals within the framework of Food Sovereignty, constructed by small farmers. The term 'family farming' is vast, and may include almost any agricultural model or method whose direct beneficiaries are not corporations or investors. It includes both small-scale and large-scale producers (with farms covering thousands of hectares), as well as small-scale producers who are entirely dependent on the private sector, through contract farming or other forms of economic exploitation, promoted though concepts such as "The value chain". This is why La Vía Campesina defends family farming in terms of peasant based ecological Farming, as opposed to the large-scale, industrial, toxic farming of agribusinesses, which expel peasants and small farmers and grab the world's lands. It is imperative, during this International Year of Family Farming, that critical steps be taken and that commitment be mobilised so that policies to protect and to strengthen peasant family farming might be implemented. La Vía Campesina supports a model of food production which promotes Food Sovereignty. This includes: Access and control over productive resources such as land, water, seeds and finance. It is important to highlight, in this space for discussion, the urgent need for Integral Agrarian Reform: the democratisation of land, and the creation of direct employment, housing and food production. We consider that the concept of integral agrarian reform should not be limited to just the redistribution of land. We support an Integral Agrarian Reform which offers full rights over lands, which recognises the legal rights of indigenous populations over their territories, which guarantees fishing communities access to and control over fisheries and ecosystems, and which recognises the right of access to and control over livestock migration routes and pastures; The recognition that female peasants and female agricultural workers have the same rights as their male counterparts; The prioritisation of local food systems and markets; The recognition of rights and protection against corporation-led production, and the large-scale production of agro-fuel; The use of ecological production methods. During this UN International Year, as La Vía Campesina, we contemplate certain threats such as the criminalisation, the judicialisation and the continuous repression under which male and female peasants live, not just at the hands of their states, but also at those of the transnational corporations. Conflicts over land and other natural resources exist throughout the world. Of the national governments, we therefore demand: an end to land grabbing, and that of water and seeds; that they promote policies which guarantee Food Sovereignty, biodiversity and peasants' seeds, and that they improve access to land and water; that they recognise peasant rights regarding the production, reproduction and exchange of their traditional seeds, guarantees of agro-biodiversity and peasants' autonomy; and that they increase the support and public investments for peasant based production, and guarantee markets and equitable trade. At international level, we urge governments to apply the Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests, and other key decisions from the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), and that they adopt the UN Declaration of Peasants' Rights. Additionally, we urge that they implement the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and that they end negotiations for any new commercial agreements, particularly the TTIP (Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) or the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership). In La Vía Campesina, we believe that we have to use this year to redirect agriculture towards a model of Food Sovereignty which will generate employment, provide healthy food, and respect natural resources. We call for the creation of an alliance between countryside and city, that it might revive the peasants' dignity and highlight their great contribution to food production; we need important political changes, both for our tables and for our fields. CONTACT FOR THE PRESS: S.Kannaiyan: +91 9444979543 - sukannaiyan69(a)gmail.com Chukki Nanjundaswamy: + 919845066156 - chukki.krrs(a)gmail.com Andrea Ferrante: + 393480189221 - a.ferrante(a)aiab.it --

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