2024 | May Newswrap: Updates from Member Organizations Worldwide
In the Arab Region and North Africa (ARNA), La Via Campesina International Coordinating Committee (ICC) met beginning of this month in Tunis, Tunisia for their 1st in-person meeting of the year to discuss the movement’s strategic lines of action for the next 4 years. After the meeting, the ICC delegation from 26 countries had a solidarity field visit organized by the Million Rural Women, a local member organization, to the farmers of the Nabil and Marnakia regions, some of whom are involved in the preservation and multiplication of original municipal seeds, an important first step to achieving food sovereignty. The ARNA region, too, held its 1st regional meeting following its recognition as the 10th LVC region by the 8th International Conference of La Via Campesina held in Bogota, last year in December.
On a sad note, in Palestine, as the bombing of Rafah intensifies, Gaza has lost all of its critical infrastructure, including those which ensured food sovereignty and the continuity of safe and clean soil, water and air. The repercussions of the Israeli genocide goes beyond the moment, and beyond Gaza.The bombings, destruction, and warfare is one of the main contributors in accelerating global warming and the destruction of our planet.
Shifting our focus to South America, in Peru, the National Agrarian Confederation of Peru is participating in the process of updating the proposal of the National Policy for Indigenous or Native Peoples (PNPI), a multi-sectoral instrument that prioritises a set of objectives and actions aimed at resolving the limited exercise of the collective rights of indigenous or native peoples, developed in the Ministry of Culture with national indigenous organisations. The fifth working meeting was held in May for four days. This process included the review of the matrix of services identified in this proposal, as well as the validation and commitments assumed by the ministries of each sector.
In Paraguay, the National Peasant Federation of Paraguay held rallies on 8 May in Asunción, in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications, and the National Institute of Rural Development and Land. They called for the repair and maintenance of local roads, and for the legalisation and regularisation of settlements.
Moving to Central America, in Guatemala, the Committee for Campesino Unity (CUC) denounced the eviction faced by the Q’eqchi’ families of the Buena Vista Tzinte community in El Estor, Izabal, due to pressure exerted by the Arriaza Migoya family. In a public statement, CUC insisted that the State of Guatemala is obliged to guarantee the human rights of the Q’eqchi’ families and comply with the basic principles and guidelines on evictions and displacement. Furthermore, an urgent appeal was made to the authorities and the international community to intervene and to respect the due process and human rights of the Q’eqchi’ families. This eviction puts at risk not only their homes, but also their security and well-being.
In Costa Rica, the Mesoamerican Meeting in Defence of Maize was attended by peasants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Colombia and Ecuador. In the face of a generalised climate of violence and a desire for subjugation by corporations, governments and international organisations, the peoples and communities in the milpa or the maize field, reclaimed their autonomy and the ways of governing themselves. In a joint declaration, they rejected the Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and the laws that seek to regulate who sows, grows, harvests and shares native and creole seeds and varieties. They also spoke out against the Free Trade Agreements for being instruments of subjugation of national sovereignty to the interests of transnational corporations and for being pressure mechanisms for the adoption of UPOV and laws that impede the exchange and free use of seeds.
In the Caribbean, in the Dominican Republic, from 24 to 31 May, the VI Continental Women’s School of the Latin American Coordination of Rural Organisations (CLOC-Via Campesina), was held at the Mama Tingo Training and Education Centre (Cefcamati) in the Dominican Republic. This VI Continental School sought to strengthen the organisational process of the Articulation of Women of the CLOC-Via Campesina, the debate on the construction of peasant and popular feminism, and the struggle against all forms of violence and oppression.
In Cuba, on May 17, the Day of the Peasant in Cuba, the 65th anniversary of the Agrarian Reform Law and the 63rd anniversary of the founding of the National Association of Small Farmers, Anap, member of CLOC-Via Campesina, were commemorated. The Agrarian Reform made 250,000 peasant families owners of land, because those who worked the land were protected with a land title. At the same time they obtained credit facilities and insurance for economic and social development.
Meanwhile, in South Asia, in Pakistan, on May 21st, responding to Pakistan Kisan Rabita Committee’s call, farmers protested in 30 districts, demanding wheat purchase commencement and arrests related to the wheat scandal. They called for abolishing private grain imports, setting minimum crop prices, regulating markets, ending IMF-led neoliberal policies, and compensating peasants affected by government policies. They also sought strict action against usurious lenders.
On May 1st, in Sri Lanka, the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform rallied numerous peasant and fisherfolk families for a May Day parade in Embilipitiya, located in the southern province. The event, attended by many, highlighted the nation’s peasant struggles and urged a collective stand against land grabs and neoliberal agricultural policies favoring industrial farming.
Moving to the South East and East Asia, in Thailand, the Northern Peasant Federation released a statement strongly criticizing the tragic death of political activist Netiporn Sanesangkhom while in prison, where she was on a hunger strike. The statement condemned how the current regime in the country uses the law to suppress public expression and freedoms. “The act of ordinary citizens posing questions or making comments about the monarchy, political institutions, or the judicial process, with the aim of guiding society and the nation in the right direction, is now considered criminal, with the potential for loss of life or freedom,” the statement stated.
In Vietnam, the Vietnam Peasants’ Union organized a seminar focused on Climate Resilience through Peasant Cooperatives. During the event, they showcased a model of agroecological rice farming, which emphasizes improved water management, the use of bio-products for straw treatment, and a gradual reduction in chemical inputs. This workshop received backing from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as support from the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance, which is actively promoting public initiatives to encourage a shift in agricultural practices. As part of their efforts to encourage more peasant farmers to adopt agroecological methods, the peasant’s union has developed a manual outlining these techniques.
Shifting our focus to the Southern and Eastern Africa, in Tanzania, about 780 MVIWATA smallholder farmers from 260 village community banks in Njombe and Ludewa Districts received training on management of farmer established and owned financial institutions. The trainings, organized at village level, are key to strengthening the farmer self-help groups and are facilitated using experienced smallholder farmers members of MVIWATA who have been trained to train fellow small-holder farmers. In other regions, localized agroecology trainings including making of bio-pesticides, bio-fertillizers and discussions on the political nature of agroecology are ongoing.
In Uganda, ESAFF Uganda launched the “Seed Gist” newsletter this May to celebrate the vital role that small-scale farmers play in preserving the diversity of the peasant seed heritage. It highlights the traditional practices to innovative approaches that adapt to modern challenges. ESAFF Uganda also organised trainings on Agroecology principles, elements and practices in Butebo district and established community agroecology school at St Marita to ensure reliable and sustainable food systems.
In Western and Central Africa, in Senegal, n the race towards food sovereignty, women are taking the lead. The women of the Conseil national de concertation et de coopération des ruraux (CNCR) continue to reflect on how to overcome the barriers that undermine access to food sovereignty in a context marked by climate change. On 22 May, the women of the CNCR, in partnership with Ipar, organised a panel discussion to improve the work of the CNCR’s women’s college. This strong mobilisation of women bears witness to their commitment to being major players in the fight for food sovereignty. On 20 May, the World Bee Day, the CNCR joined other organisation to draw attention to the importance of pollinators, the bees to sustainable development and to warn of the threats they face.
In Togo, from the 14th to 18th May, the Coordination Togolaise des Organisations Paysannes et de Producteurs Agricoles (CTOP) organised a series of meetings aimed at setting up watch committees to manage conflicts over natural resources, including water and land, in the five communes covered by the ‘Mobilité Pastorale Transfrontalière Apaisée et Stabilité Sociale au Sahel’ (MOPSS) project in Togo.
We end this monthly newswrap with news from Europe. In France, Confédération paysanne and FADEAR urged French lawmakers to substantially modify the agricultural sovereignty bill under debate. They criticized the draft law as deeply insufficient, containing dangerous provisions contrary to the agro-environmental transition. The farmer unions demanded defining food sovereignty according to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in the Rural Areas (UNDROP), scrapping the “agricultural sovereignty” notion favoring energy over food, and adding concrete policy changes like supporting vegetable production. They also called for legal targets to maintain at least 400,000 farms and 600,000 farmers to preserve the family farm model, ensure pluralism in agricultural chambers, and secure farmer incomes and equitable land access.
In United Kingdom, ahead of the upcoming general elections, the Land Workers Alliance is calling for an increase in agriculture funding across the United Kingdom. The union launched a petition calling for farming budgets to be doubled from the current 0.4% of public spending. They argued that more financial support is crucial for transitioning to sustainable practices, rewarding ecological leaders, investing in local food systems, and training a new agroecological workforce.
If there are any important updates that we have missed, please send the links to communications@viacampesina.org so that we can include them in the next edition. We only include updates from La Via Campesina members. For a comprehensive update on various initiatives from May 2024, please visit our website. You can also find the previous editions of our news wrap on our website. In addition, condensed versions of our newswrap are accessible as a podcast on Spotify.