India, Mass Mobilization for Land Rights and Defense of Agriculture

Open call for Kisan (farmers) and Khet mazdoor (agriculture workers) mass mobilization

When: 18^th March, 11 am onwards

Where: Jantar Mantar

Who: Farmers movements of the Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers Movements – the (Bhartiya Kisan Union, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha) as well as brothers and sisters from the National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM).

What: The mobilization will focus on people’s right to land and the land acquisition bill. Along with the land bill, we have created a 5 point demand to defend agricultural livelihoods and put an end to the anti people development model imposed by the pro corporate predatory Indian state. 

The rights of people on land, water, seeds, markets are being given to private corporations at an alarming rate so that they can exploit these for their profit and for consumerism by the elite. The agrarian crisis is getting deeper and deeper, farmer suicides have increased, while water is short and the climate crisis worsening. The conversion of farm land to non agricultural purposes is also happening fast- there are countless projects where fertile land and water are being used up for recreational and luxury industry. This trend is leading to massive migrations out of the villages. If this continues then in a few years, there will be no farmers left and no lands or resources in the hands of the agrarian masses to grow food. This is a dangerous trend, and one that we cannot accept anymore. It is time to defend agriculture, our lands, our water, our seeds, our knowledge.

Our 5 point demand to defend agriculture include:

1. Land rights – no to acquisition for private purpose and a moratorium on land acquisitions until government comes up with a white paper on all the land acquired, utilized and not utilized, status of resettlement and rehabilitation for the project affected people.

2. Farmers income – which includes Farmers Income Guarantee Act /Farmers Income Commission, fair remunerative prices of crops and minimum assured income

3. Sustainable technologies – NO TO GMO’s yes to Agroecology (agricultural science that valorizes farmers local innovations, natures own processes and traditional knowledge), Stop BRAI bill!

4. We oppose all the new legal frameworks that are against food and farmers sovereignty– No to free trade , No FDI In retail, No commodity and futures trading in agriculture, create universal PDS and support local farmers

5. Stop farmer suicides – acknowledge them and provide fair relief and rehabilitation to victims, recognize women farmer’s suicides and conduct special parliament sessions on farmers suicides.