La Via Campesina: Why We Left Our Farms to Come to Copenhagen

Speech of Henry Saragih, general coordinator of Via Campesina at the opening session of Klimaforum By La Via Campesina

CommonDreams.org, December 8, 2009

Straight to the Source

We, the international peasant movement La Via Campesina, are coming to Copenhagen from all five corners of the world, leaving our farmland, our animals, our forest, and also our families in the hamlets and villages to join you all.

Why is it so important for us to come this far? There are a number of reasons for that. Firstly, we would like to tell you that climate change is already seriously impacting us. It brings floods, droughts and the outbreak of pests that are all causing harvest failures. I must point out that these harvest failures are something that the farmers did not create. Instead, it is the polluters who caused the emissions who destroy the natural cycles. So, we small scale farmers came here to say that we will not pay for their mistakes. And we are asking the emitters to face up to their responsibilities.

Pesticide regulation authority is failing Kenyans

From Wildlife Direct’s Stop Wildlife Poisoning campaign in Kenya

I am very sad that the CEO of the Kenyan Pest Control Products Board (PCPB), Mrs Gladys Maina cannot have a serious conversation with us about carbofuran poisoning in Kenya. She appears to be bitterly angry that WildilfeDirect has called for a ban on this product. This does not make a lot of sense to me since her job is not to protect the agrochemical industry but to protect consumers and the environment. My efforts to discuss issues with her on phone have always involved accusations that I am an ‘activist’ and that I have a personal grudge against her. It’s silly I know but even if it were true, that does not relieve Mrs Maina of her duties as the CEO of the PCPB.

According to their website the PCPB aspires to the following

Our Vision
The vision of the PCPB is to be the leading regulatory agency for pest control products in the region.

Our Mision
The mission of PCPB is to provide an efficient and effective regulatory service for importation, exportation, manufacture, distribution, transportation, sale, disposal and safe use of pest control products and mitigate potential harmful effects to the environment.

To Rome: No GMOs or Increased large-scale production!

Press Release

November 13, 2009

U.S. groups call for leadership from the Obama administration at the World Summit on Food Security

Administration’s support for genetic engineering and trade deregulation are troubling

Rome – As the World Summit on Food Security begins next week in Rome, U.S. civil society organizations expressed concern with the Obama administration’s support for increasing intensive, large-scale agriculture production and trade expansion as a solution to rising global hunger—failed approaches that have actually contributed to the global food crisis.

In a letter signed by 23 U.S. organizations, the groups thanked the administration for its efforts to increase foreign assistance and to better coordinate government agencies in responding to the global food crisis. But they questioned why the administration has not recognized the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology (IAASTD) report, supported by over 50 countries, “which represents a global consensus about what course international investment in agriculture should take to meet social and environmental goals.” Instead, the Obama administration aggressively promoted the use of patented genetically engineered seeds and increasing large-scale production practices, the groups charged.

Resist CropLife

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

80+ GROUPS AND 38,000+ INDIVIDUALS UNITE AGAINST SIDDIQUI NOMINATION

Groups Call for Change to Failed Free Trade Agenda That Has Deepened Global Food, Environmental and Health Crises

San Francisco, CA, Apopka, FL, Washington D.C. (November 2, 2009) – In an unprecedented effort to block a USTR agriculture nominee, over 80 groups sent a letter today to Chairman Max Baucus and Ranking Member Charles Grassley of the Senate Finance Committee urging the rejection of Islam Siddiqui as Chief Agriculture Negotiator at the office of the United States Trade Representative. In part to counter a supportive letter previously issued by over 40 agribusiness industry groups, the NGO letter protests Siddiqui’s clear affiliation with the agricultural input industry and its “free” trade agenda. Siddiqui is a former pesticide/biotech lobbyist for and current vice president of regulatory affairs at CropLife America. His nomination will be taken up by the Committee on November 4.

IFOAM: World Food Day Statement

10/12/2009

Putting the last first – The Organic Answer to Food Security for all, including the rural poor!

On the occasion of the World Food Day, agro-industry proposes a second green revolution based on genetic engineering. This suits their interests but does not contribute to feeding the poor. Organic Agriculture based on its encouraging concepts, experience and examples proposes a paradigm-shift in food security policies to ensure that hunger is history by 2050.

In 2009, the number of undernourished people reached one billion, three quarters of them live in rural areas . This is more than ever before. Despite the fact that the world produces 125% of the required food for all, 15% of people are hungry; and most of them are women and children. Global agriculture production today fails to feed the world’s poorest people since they lack access to income and resources such as fertile land, water, seeds and knowledge for a farming system adapted to local conditions and the demands of markets. The green revolution accomplished a lot but failed to combat hunger. It focused only on technology and relied on huge quantities of climate damaging inputs such as agro-chemicals.

Climate Justice!

For Immediate Release

October 3-4, Bangkok, Thailand – This weekend the Alternative Agriculture Network joined with environmental networks, civil society organizations and peoples’ movements for the two-day climate conference, “Asian Peoples’ Solidarity for Climate Justice.”  This conference was organized by the Thai Working Group for Climate Justice as a parallel event to the Climate Change Talks hosted at the United Nations in Bangkok.  As an organization of small-scale farmers directly affected by climate change, we view the UN policy-making process as important challenges for our network to engage with.  On October 4, AAN Esan coordinator Ubon Yoowah spoke on a panel focusing on Reducing Emissions Deforestation and Degradation (REDD).  The presentation focused on 4 major points:

1. The Alternative Agriculture Network works to create small-scale sustainable agriculture systems.  We believe that sustainable agriculture creates ecological balance and utilizes carbon that would otherwise be emitted in less efficient systems.
2. Large-scale production and agro-industry destroys nature’s balance and production processes emit the three major greenhouse gasses, especially nitrous oxide and methane.  Feedlots and CAFOs are significant examples of this environmentally destructive process.
3. Biofuels are promoted as a solution and opportunity for producers in the Global South, but will only create greater resource exploitation and competition.  This will especially be the case when integrated into carbon markets and trading.
4. The UN must support sustainable agriculture and develop mechanisms for farmer-based education, research and participation.  The UN must also support community energy production and management as an alternative to large-scale production schemes.

Letter to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers

To the Coalition of Immokalee Workers on the eve of your annual encuentro,

The Alternative Agriculture Network – Esan (AAN) is a network of small-scale farmers in northeastern Thailand, made up of more than 3,000 families.  We are a movement of farmers, activists, NGOs and organizers.  We’ve come together to support independent careers, self-reliance, creating power and control over production inputs, and access to resources.  We work together on preserving and expanding local seeds for use in alternative agriculture.  We create spaces in the market to promote safe food for urban consumers.  We monitor agriculture and trade policies and push for policies that represent our interests.  We resist and struggle against policies that are obstacles in the development of family and community self-reliance (for example, GMO technology and corporate-controlled contract farming systems).