“We will not achieve Food Sovereignty if we can't recover control over our communities and territories, if we can't take back control over food from the corporations”, warned peasant Carlos Marentes, a long-standing leader from La Vía Campesina. “This is a complicated struggle, it requires intense work. In the current political climate — of oligarchy and increasingly extreme conservatism, states…
In India there have been massive demonstrations against a new Citizenship Law that came into force in January, which grants nationality to refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, except Muslims. In December, tens of people were murdered in the repression of mobilizations, and hundreds were arrested. Those who oppose the law affirm, among other things, that this is the first…
Andoni García, a farmer from the Basque Country and member of the Coordination Committee of La Vía Campesina Europe (ECVC) warned in an interview with Real World Radio about the use of “nationalist sentiment” in right-wing political discourses as a feature of the rising conservatism and fascism on the continent. Contrary to other European countries, “the Spanish government does not…
“We are the guardians of land, seeds, life and love" is the slogan of the Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) of Southern Africa, a movement of rural women founded in 2009 with a membership of over 100 000 women, mainly farmers from South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Their focus is on the defense of the commons…
Socialist community El Maiza, located between Lara and Portuguesa states, in Venezuela, is a reference for the community movement of the country. Founded 11 years ago, with diverse self-managed companies, El Maizal is proud to show visitors their productive diversity and their political-ideological framework, with self-government as their banner. One example is enough: the unit focused on cattle production started…
The delegation of La Via Campesina with representatives from Europe, North America, South America and Central America, together with popular journalists from Africa and South America, announce to the national and international public that we have concluded the 1st International Solidarity Mission with Venezuela, held between January 20th and 27th in several regions of the country, among them the states…
The 46th session of the UN Committee on World Food Security began this Monday in Rome, Italy. There, several national governments and different stakeholders will analyze policy recommendations for food security and nutrition, ending on Friday. Many side events were held in parallel to the official sessions, with civil society being represented by the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism (CSM) for…
Transformative Cities, a project launched by a group of international organisations including Friends of the Earth International, the Transnational Institute (TNI), Right to the City platform and RIPESS, has recently published an Atlas of Utopias which shows that “change is happening”, Sam Cossar-Gilbert told Real World Radio. Cossar-Gilbert coordinates Friends of the Earth International’s work on economic justice and resisting neoliberalism,…
Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG) is suing the government over the commercialization of GM cowpeas and GM rice for safety issues of concern for the organization, although commercial distribution has not been approved yet. Edwin Baffour, Director of Communications of FSG, explained to RWR why they are suing the government: "Right now there is no commercial granting of any GMO, but government…
April 17 marks the International Day of Peasant Struggle to remember the 19 peasants of the Landless Rural Workers Movement of Brazil who were murdered in 1996 in the “Massacre of Eldorado dos Carajas”. That day, tens of police officers attacked 1500 landless peasants in Eldorado dos Carajás. Since then, every April 17, there are thousands of demonstrations around the…
