Food sovereignty
International resistance by small farmers
Country: International Network |Â Partner: Via Campesina
Aims
- To develop solidarity and unity between rural organizations in order to combat the neoliberal model of industrialised agriculture
- To campaign for alternative frameworks in areas such as agrarian reform, food sovereignty, trade, and environment
- To influence decision-makers to redirect the economic and agricultural policies that affect small and middle-scale producers
- To articulate and strengthen its member organisations
- To strengthen women’s participation in the movement
Small farmers, peasants, rural women, farm workers and indigenous communities in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and even Europe and the US, suffer constant violations of their rights.
From the dumping of food on developing countries' markets, to the forceful introduction of genetically modified crops, to the exploitation worldwide of farmers by big agribusinesses, small farmers worldwide face many challenges in their struggle to survive.
Farmers are not passively letting their rights be trampled on, and have organised in a broad, international movement called Via Campesina - the Way of the Peasant - which is committed to making small farmers' voices heard.
Via Campesina represents millions of small farmers around the world and offers an opportunity for them to unite to resist the exploitation multinational corporations and governments subject them to. This independent, vibrant and active movement explores viable and sustainable measures for farmers from around the world to fight against the root causes of hunger, economically forced migration, degraded environments, and the increasing gap between rich and poor. Via Campesina has been a major force behind the campaign for food sovereignty, which is gaining momentum as an alternative framework to address hunger and peasant exploitation.
Via Campesina also releases an annual report on violations of peasants' and small farmers' rights around the world. The report highlights important cases and typical forms of violation of these people's human rights.
War on Want supports Via Campesina's struggle for a just world. We have helped bring together small farmer organisations for conferences in South Asia and London, and we raised funds for the important Forum for Food Sovereignty which took place in Mali in 2007. Creating links between the many peasant organisations that represent millions of people over the world is vital to stopping the damaging impact of policies of international institutions such as the World Bank, the IMF and the World Trade Organisation.
Via Campesina and War on Want endeavour to highlight the importance of food and agriculture in countries across the world, and campaign globally to achieve food sovereignty for all.
