This Wednesday (6) marks the beginning of the National Day of Struggle of Landless Women 2024, which ends on Friday, March 8, the International Women’s Day of Struggle. The MST women will come out in defense of rural and urban workers working for agrarian reform and also call for a continuous mobilization for social justice.
In the Media
Agroecology in the 8th LVC International Conference: Reflections of the agrarian movements in Colombia
The agroecology is part of the food sovereignty as a principle of the political struggle for the LVC. It is part of the plan of action in the different continents because it is the answer to the peasants’ need to promote their ancient model of production against the agribusiness that has moved forward fiercely, displacing and forcing the peasants, the communities and the indigenous peoples.
Globalising Hope – The courageous journey of La Via Campesina
La Via Campesina took shape in a political context where neoliberalism was rapidly expanding across continents, threatening to destabilise and even disappear small-scale agriculture. ‘A Growing Culture’ joined the 8th International Conference of La Via Campesina, held in December 2023 in Bogotá. Here is a report.
In defense of peasants’ rights and popular peasant feminism: Voices from around the world
In this video, produced by Capire and the Defending Peasants’ Rights Team, peasant women and community organizers from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, who attended the 8th International Conference of La Via Campesina in Bogota, articulate the significance of the UN Declaration on Peasants’ Rights.
Colombia: New agrarian courts raise hopes for end to land conflicts
The first five agrarian courts will open in May in the cities of Cartagena, Quibdó, Popayán, Pasto and Tunja, with 65 more to come. Peasant farmers, or campesinos, have long struggled for recognition by the state. Another effort by President Petro to resolve the unequal land divide is a promise to redistribute more than 3 million hectares (7.4 million acres) of land.
Treaties and Tractors: The protests in Europe against free trade agreements, WTO at the root of it all
To find the roots of the problems that are now flourishing in the form of discontent in the countryside, one needs to point to the beginning of the establishment of international trade rules in this latest era of globalization. The WTO has become a space where the Rule of Might prevails, with a few developed countries determining the course of world trade.
Direct Action: A riveting theatrical journey chronicles the life and legacy of late peasant leader MD Nanjudaswamy
Dr. Nataraj Huliyar’s play, “Direct Action,” based on the life and struggles of the late Prof. M.D. Nanjundaswamy (MDN), a historical leader in La Via Campesina, founder of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), and legendary organizer of peasants in India, has resonated with farmers across his home state of Karnataka.
Peasants at the frontline of the climate struggle share testimonies
The 8th International Conference of La Via Campesina, held in Bogotá, Colombia, in December, provided a space for its members – small-holder farmers from more than 80 countries – to highlight the ongoing crises in their territories. These testimonies of peasants worldwide revealed a shared struggle against the escalating climate crisis. Across South America, Asia, and Africa, a collective plea for global action resonated, urging sustainable alternatives like agroecology.
South African peasant activists unveil land inequality struggles on global stage in Colombia
Two South African activists recently attended a conference in Bogotá where they pledged to broaden the participation of individuals, especially women, in the fight for food sovereignty. They denounced the land inequality and the outsized influence of South Africa’s commercial sector on food product pricing, thrusting these critical issues onto the global stage.
6th Women’s Assembly of La Via Campesina: “We Bring Lifeblood To This Movement”
While women took part in the establishment and building of La Via Campesina in different territories and international spaces, a collective struggle was necessary to get space and exposure, as well as to push feminism as a struggle that cannot be separated from the peasant struggle and the struggles of the peoples of the world.