Farmers Around the Globe
Via Campesina is an international movement which coordinates peasant organizations of small and medium sized producers, agricultural workers, rural women, and indigenous communities from Asia, America, and Europe. It is an autonomous, pluralistic movement, independent from all political, economic, or other denomination.
The National Family Farm Coalition is the lead North American organization for the Via Campesina international food sovereignty campaign.
The Food Sovereignty Campaign Goals:
1. Farmers have the first right to markets in the farmers' own region/country at a fair price.
2. The concept/goals of food sovereignty popularized in the U.S.
3. International trade cooperation to ensure food sovereignty.
Food Sovereignty Vision Statement:
We envision empowered communities everywhere working together democratically to advance a food system that ensures health, justice, and dignity for all. Family farming will be an attractive and viable livelihood that supports economically, environmentally, and socially diverse and sustainable communities where future generations will thrive. Farmers, ranchers, and fishers will have control over their lands, water, seeds, and livelihoods, as well as the ability to steward the land, take good care of animals, protect biodiversity and conserve and increase farming knowledge. Farmworkers and food workers will have respect and descent incomes, and farmers will have the first right to produce food for local and regional markets, so that the plant's energy and the soil and water are conserved. All people will have access to healthy, local, delicious food.
A CALL TO ACTION!
Time for Food Sovereignty
Take part in the struggle against corporate control of our food, fish and agriculture.
Food and agriculture are fundamental to all peoples, in terms of both production and availability of sufficient quantities of safe and healthy food, and as foundations of healthy lives, communities, cultures and environments. On the contrary, the consequences of the dominating neoliberal policies are hunger, poverty and environmental damage. The multinational companies are taking over the control while farmers and fisherfolks are marginalized, and consumers often receive unhealthy food. The breakdown of the negotiations in the WTO underlines the need for a total change in the policies for food, agriculture and fisheries. It is Time for Food Sovereignty.
Nyéléni 2007 – the World Forum for Food Sovereignty - will be held in Mali in February 2007. Five hundred delegates representing farmers, fisherfolks, indigenous peoples, women's groups, workers, environmentalists, consumers, NGOs, youth groups, government representatives will meet to advance food sovereignty on all levels within all sectors.
During the forum, the right to food sovereignty will be reaffirmed; the economic, social and environmental implications of food sovereignty will be deliberated; and, the global movement for the recognition of the right to food sovereignty will be initiated. Overall, Nyeleni 2007 aims to define a global and collective strategy to guarantee the right of all peoples to food sovereignty, realized by all countries and guaranteed by the United Nations.
Nyeleni 2007 is only a part of the process to step up the struggle for food sovereignty, develop and actualise the concept, build alliances and develop plans of action in order to change the balance of power to favour food sovereignty worldwide. A wide range of input in the preparation of Nyéléni is essential to actualise food sovereignty. Many more organisations can take part in the preparation and follow up than in the forum itself. The fight for food sovereignty is a long-term fight where all people, organisations, governments and institutions who are positive to the concept, are essential.
What can you and your organization do?
• Adopt the concept of food sovereignty.
• Organise discussions around the concept of food sovereignty within your organisation, locally and regionally with various sectors of society that the right to food impacts farmers, fisherfolks, envrionmentalists, consumers, indigenous peoples . . .
• Develop plans and actions for food sovereignty which address the following:
• Development of new alliances.
• How to combat transnational corporations, which threaten food sovereignty.
• Protection of community access to natural resources.
• How to maintain local economies where people and communities decide what and how they produce food.
• To fight regional trade agreements and international lending institutions, as well as alternatives to those systems.
• Alternative framework to the current World Trade Organisation in order to ensure that international trade does not undermine food sovereignty.
• What current policies are in place that actualise food sovereignty?
• Sign up for information and input on an e-mail list.
Contact information
There is an international steering committee for the Nyéléni 2007 , and regional committees for the preparation and follow up.
To help organise local, national and regional processes in the lead up to Nyéléni 2007, contact the regional contact person below.
Asia: Saro Rengam (saroj@pc.jaring.my), Henry Sarangi (hsaragih@viacampesina.org, ilubis@cbn.net.id), Herman Kumara (fishmove@slt.lk)
West and Central Asia, incl Caucuses: Maryam Rahmanian (maryam@cenesta.org)
Africa: Ibrahim Coulibaly (i_ibracoul@yahoo.fr), Ndiougou Fall ( fongs@telecomplus.sn ), Diamantino Nhampossa (unacexecutiva@tvcabo.co.mz, vcafrica@tvcabo.co.mz)
Europe: Paul Nicholson (pnicholson@ehne.org, laukote@euskalnet.net ), Aksel Naerstad (aksel@u-fondet.no)
Latin/Central America and the Carribean: Alberto Villareal (comercioredes@gmail.com), Karin Nansen (urusust@gmail.com), Miriam Noble (minobre@sof.org.br)
North America: Pedro Avedano (forum@ccpfh-ccpp.org), Andrianna Natsoulas (anatsoulas@fwwatch.org), Alberto Gomez (comisionejecutiva@unorca.org.mx, albertogomez@unorca.org.mx )
For more information: www.Nyeleni2007.org
Via Campesina Updates:
25 September 06: GATES/ROCKEFELLER AFRICA PLAN vs. FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
6 July 06: The WTO failure in Geneva brings hope to farmers worldwide. Time for food sovereignty!
5 July 06: The Doha Round: A disaster for Farmers around the world
