G-8 Leaders: After 20 years, it’s time to listen to La Vía Campesina

This week in Jakarta, Indonesia over 400 farmers from 70 countries gathered at the 6th International Conference of La Via Campesina to celebrate 20 years of struggle for food sovereignty. The representatives of this 200 million-strong international peasant movement hammered out a global call to action to bring an end to hunger, poverty, environmental destruction and social injustice.

It was a remarkable event.

The smallholders, who grow 70% of the world’s food, have a plan to save the world from hunger. It looks nothing like the top-down schemes of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID’s “Feed the Future” or the corporate-led “New Vision for Agriculture.”

The major difference is that La Vía Campesina believes hunger is caused by injustice—not scarcity. (The world already produces enough food to feed 10 billion people.) These farmers see smallholder farmers as the protagonists and saviors rather than “the clients” in providing solutions to hunger, poverty and climate change.

Their list of solutions goes on. They support smallholder farming instead of plantation agriculture. They practice agroecology and reject the “New Green Revolution” and GMOs; They demand land reform and an end to land grabs; They reject the neoliberal free trade agenda that has destroyed rural economies over the last 20 years, driving millions to bankruptcy and migration; and they call for an end to all forms of violence against women who, in fact, grow most of the world’s food.

The gulf between the growing peasant movement and the business-as-usual solutions advanced by the corporate food regime is not only vast; it separates actors and institutions that are diametrically opposed regarding who should control the world’s food system.

“We need an agricultural revolution. Farmers need to take back control over agriculture from agribusiness,” said Selene, a farmer from Africa. Edgardo, a farm labor leader from Nicaragua insisted, that “The two models are not compatible. Capitalism can’t resolve the crises. We need a new world order based on social justice.”

We need an agricultural revolution. Farmers need to take back control over agriculture from agribusiness,” said Selene, a farmer from Africa. Edgardo, a farm labor leader from Nicaragua insisted that “The two models are not compatible. Capitalism can’t resolve the crises.

These are strong words from people that mainstream development institutions are supposed to be helping… One reason for this is the unprecedented levels of violence that development of extractive industries like palm oil, agrofuels and mining has unleashed upon the world’s peasantry. It is not unusual in areas like Guatemala or Honduras for the military and thugs hired by elites to enforce this so called ”modernization” of the countryside at the point of a gun.

The inauguration of the 6th International Conference followed special Youth and Women’s assemblies with speeches from Henry Saragi, head of the Indonesian Peasant Farmers Union SPI, Opening ceremony (songs) – Speeches: SPI(Ali); ICC host(Henry); ICC Woman(Itelvina); MPBI (Indonesian trade union ; Ikbal); Asian Migrant Forum (T. Macabua).

The next morning reports from Vía Campesinas’s regions began with a “mistica” ceremony of seed planting and representation of mother earth rising. The Delegation of the Americas took the floor with their fists in the air “Seguimos en la lucha! Seguimos adelante!” and “La Tierra no se vende!” They were followed by the Asian delegation “Zindabat! Zindabat!”, and Europe with “What do we want? Food Sovereignty! When do we want it? Now!” and “El Pueblo Unido Jamás será Vencido! (In 3 languages); the Africa delegation; and COATIm the translation collective, for a rousing round of enthusiastic applause from over 400 delegates. The Australian delegation, that is in the process of becoming a member of Vía Campesina, also took the stage. Finally, the “Allies” took the stage. We were a sizable group of at least 80 representatives from NGOs and community groups from around the world. We put our fist in the air and chanted “Viva la Via Campesina.”

Henry Saraghi, current international chair of La Via Campesina, took the stage to affirm that La Via Campesina is fighting not just for farmers, but for all of the world’s peoples.

The sound system people were recognized and praised. Birthdays were celebrated and a tribute to Egidio Brunetto, a Brazilian militant who recently passed away was noted. Then the conference opened to 20 years of Via Campesina. Chayannes, welcomed all delegates, encouraging eveyone to participate in order to achieve results for the movement. Deena Hoff then explained the program. A letter from Evo Morales, president of Bolivia supporting the struggle of La Via Campesina was read. Then a video of Olivier de Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, who talked about the importance of La Via Campesina and the message that peasant agriculture is a solution to world hunger, and ending with a call for investment in small-scale agriculture.

Chayannes sketched out the work plan for the Conference in which a new, 4-year strategy will be decided on, a new international office will be selected (Indonesia is relinquishing its leadership).

This was followed by a presentation from the Palestine Peasant Movement thanking VC for their support in their 65 years of struggle against oppression.

This morning the African delegation began with a mistica ceremony that acted out a village meeting in which a chief was convincing the village to accept some sort of development scheme. A young man from Via Campesina was clearly arguing caution but the villagers ran him out. Later a capitalist paid the chief and drove the peasants from the land. They sat heartbroken until the young Via Campesina returned to organize them behind a large Via Campesina banner. The villagers turned on the chief and the capitalist land grabber and took back the land.

Every morning of the conference groups from different regions, the women’s group and the youth group have presented inspirational “mistica” ceremonies that depict peasant resistance for food sovereignty. Throughout the conference, peasant representatives have intervened in the Assembly, sharing experiences, providing insights and wisdom.

Today La Via Campesina welcomed new members from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Delegates stood and cheered when the Palestinian Farmers’ Organization was accepted into what are now over 100 peasant organizations in La Via Campesina, followed by an artisanal fisher-peoples organization from Brazil. Finally, very close to my heart, Boricuá, the Puerto Rican small farmers’ union was inducted into La Vía Campesina amid cheers from all delegates.

Freely exchanging peasant seeds is an act of resistance against the yoke of patented seed and GMOs… and an act of construction for food sovereignty.

Farmer, Blaine Snipstal of the US Rural Coalition, was on hand as part of the Youth Articulation to report on their mandate for the next 2 years: integrate youth into the Vía Campesina food sovereignty movement worldwide. There is a strong commitment on the part of La Vía Campesina to incorporate youth into agriculture and into the movement.

The Women’s Articulation—a powerful anchor within La Vía Campesina—has had a strong presence throughout the conference, affirming the movement’s commitment to ending all forms of violence against women and reaffirming women’s leadership. The Women’s mistica ceremony was a moving sociodrama against violence against women, holding up the example of Maria do Fetal, deceased Brazilian feminist peasant militant.

The afternoon saw a seed exchange of peasant seeds in defiance of the corporate seed industry. Unlike the “Apocalypse Seeds” locked in the seed vault of the polar cap, peasant seeds are saved en vivo in the hands of farmers. Freely exchanging peasant seeds is an act of resistance against the yoke of patented seed and GMOs… and an act of construction for food sovereignty.

Abu, a farmer from one of the Indonesian farmers’ organizations spoke passionately about the importance of the free exchange of peasant seeds to rural livelihoods and peasant survival. “Seed is the source of our life.” And from Zimbabwe, a farmer presented a case study on agroecological seed banks.

– Eric Holt-Giménez, Jakarta