Portugal: Invitation to a joint Press Conference of the CNA and the Via Campesina International

Coimbra, November 18th, 2014

At Casa Diocesana Seminário de Vilar, suite 318, Porto, November 20th, 2014

By invitation of the Confederação Nacional da Agricultura (CNA), Portugal will host a series of meetings and events of the Via Campesina International from the 18th to the 28th of November. This organization is now considered to be the largest movement of small farmers worldwide as well as one of the largest global social movements overall.

The Via Campesina, of which the CNA is a member, is comprised of 164 local and national organizations in 73 countries from Africa to Asia, Europe and the Americas. It represents approximately 200 million farmers around the globe and is understood to be a principal actor in the food and agriculture debate. It is recognized and listened to by institutions such as the FAO and the UN Human Rights Council.

In order to celebrate 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming designated by the United Nations, the CNA invites you to attend a joint press conference with the CNA and the Via Campesina International on November 20th at Casa Diocesana Seminário de Vilar suite 318, located at Rua Archdeacon Van Zeller 50, Porto at 3:00 PM.

This press conference aims to spread awareness about the international movement of the Via Campesina, its principles and concepts such as food sovereignty and agroecology and also to share the struggles, demands and problems affecting small-scale agriculture and family farming from a local to a global scale. The press will also be informed about the activities organized by the CNA and the Via Campesina, such as a seminar to celebrate the international day of opposition to violence against women on November 24th.

Despite the differences between each people and each agricultural reality, the Via Campesina and the CNA see the struggles, demands and problems as common to small farmers from both the north and the south. The solution lies in globalizing the struggle and sharing the hope between peasants worldwide through international solidarity for all.

On behalf of the CNA Board,

José Miguel Pacheco

 

Press Contacts:

José Miguel – (Portuguese and Spanish) +351 968721995

Boaventura Monjane – (Portuguese, Spanish, English and French) +351 925074796