Increasingly, we are not alone in our criticism. Environmental groups are raising concerns about agribusiness' influence in agrofuels development (see Rainforest Action Network's Rainforest Agribusiness Campaign) and decrying the U.S. Energy Bill for setting agrofuel targets to the detriment of the environment and rural communities (see "Congress Urged to Ditch Energy Bill Renewable Fuel Standard"). And now the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food is weighing in saying that agrofuels are a crime against humanity.
In a report released in October, 2007 ("The Impact of Biofuels on the Right to Food" (PDF), the Special Rapporteur Jean Ziegler explains, "The sudden, ill-conceived, rush to convert food - such as maize, wheat, sugar and palm oil - into fuels is a recipe for disaster. There are serious risks of creating a battle between food and fuel that will leave the poor and hungry in developing countries at the mercy of rapidly rising prices for food, land and water."
The report shows that already the choice of fuel over food is driving policy decisions and resulting in increased hunger. The prospect of converting commodities like corn into energy brought increased corn prices in Mexico earlier this year. And the promise of increased ethanol production in Brazil is squashing the possibility for 6 million landless people to obtain land and produce food for their families.
The report goes into some depth about the global consequences of agrofuels. These include:
Following the release of the report, Ziegler called for a five-year moratorium on agrofuels (see "UN Rapporteur Calls for Biofuel Moratorium"). He's joined with a platform of European Union social justice and environmental organizations that have called for a moratorium on agrofuel targets in the EU. Ziegler's believes that within five years there may be advances in sustainable energy that would make the current agrofuels model obsolete and we could avoid doing a lot of harm in the meantime.
We welcome the latest wave of critics and applaud Ziegler for his leadership.
It's our hope that his message begins to resonate and we can get on with the business of finding real solutions to our global climate change problem and finally make a real commitment to feeding the world.
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The global spread of the agrofuels industry and the continued ecological and economic threats to global food sovereignty have intensified the Via Campesina's campaign plans. To kick off their campaigns, they declared an international day of protest on January 26, 2008 that will target Monsanto, Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland, and Wal-Mart. Close to home, in Mexico, they will focus on stopping the final implementation of NAFTA.
]]>The global spread of the agrofuels industry and the continued ecological and economic threats to global food sovereignty have intensified the Via Campesina's campaign plans. To kick off their campaigns, they declared an international day of protest on January 26, 2008 that will target Monsanto, Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland, and Wal-Mart. Close to home, in Mexico, they will focus on stopping the final implementation of NAFTA.
Laura Carlsen, director of the Americas Program at www.americaspolicy.org in Mexico City and co-editor of Confronting Globalization: Economic Integration and Popular Resistance in Mexico, spoke to members of the social movement, who explained that at the heart of their campaigns are three necessary, yet simply notions: "to remain farmers, to provide a healthy and sustainable food supply, to market their product fairly." (Read the rest of her article here. )
Grassroots International is closely involved in the Via Campesina's efforts in supporting their campaign objectives through grants and through U.S.-based advocacy.
Speaking through an interpreter a Thai indigenous person said, "We are like the chicken trying to fight the lion, and what we need is more chickens." His words were captured in a drawing that showed a fierce lion face squaring off against a lone chicken.
Indeed, the stories that I heard presented a strong case for his perception. I came here wanting to find the hopeful cases--the ones that showed that food sovereignty approaches can conserve our natural resources and produce sufficient food for our communities. What I heard was a lot about the desire to make this vision happen.
I also heard many, many horrific stories about the struggle for the right to a healthy environment and access to the natural resources that allow for a dignified life.
There is the Filipino farmer leader who told me that there is a bounty on his head because he is working for agrarian reform and environmentally-just agriculture. His organization exposed the use of an illegal pesticide in the monoculture plantations that was making thousands of workers sick and, in some cases, dead. They did an investigation that was given to the local authorities. A few months later the general secretary of the organization was murdered and the report silenced.
There is Henry Saragih, general director of the Federation of Indonesian Peasant Unions (FSPI) in Indonesia, who told me that because of pollution from the massive expansion of palm oil, rubber, cacao and eucalyptus plantations the rural people no longer eat fish from their rivers and streams. They now have to buy fish. The FSPI is trying to change the economic model in Indonesia so that agroecological farming is supported and the agrarian reform law is implemented. But this work comes at a large personal cost for Henry; in the last 16 years he has not stayed at home with his wife and two children for even the length of one month.
There are the fishers of Selingue, Mali, who lost their fishing rights when a river was dammed for hydroelectricity. The local, small fishers are not allowed fair access to the reservoir because outside fishers are given priority. Local people also lost precious land when the area was flooded. They are fighting to be consulted about fishing rights and to have land access to the reservoir.
There are the Filipino women fishers whose contribution to the conservation of fish resources is systematically overlooked. They have no formal rights and, therefore, no participation in natural resource management decisions. They are fighting for women's rights to natural resources.
There is Maria Costa of the Grassroots' partner organization, the Movement of Small Farmers (MPA) in Brazil who is fighting to maintain food sovereignty with respect to forests. Biofuel plantations in Brazil are clearing the land of its forest and savannah cover, an economic and food security source for women and their families. They are working regionally to expose the environmental and social devastation that biofuel is causing.
And there is the case of Palestine where farmers are fighting to stay on their land, and in Lebanon, where farmers' fields are contaminated with cluster bombs. They are fighting for their very survival under extreme conditions. But they are persisting so that their biodiversity and cultural traditions of farming do not perish.
These environmental activists are the chickens fighting the lion in their countries and beyond. But I think they already know the wisdom of the Thai indigenous man. Despite all of the environmental devastation, personal sacrifice and tragedies, they persist in numbers. I believe it is the strength of their convictions and the support of their people that enable them to continue.
When I asked Henry, how he could continue to make such a huge personal sacrifice, he told me, "There are 40 million people in Indonesia living poor, I cannot stop."
When you do not have healthy, adequate food, when you cannot fish from your rivers and when your forests are disappearing, you have no choice but to fight to save the natural resources that support your community and all of humanity.
I only hope that their environmental service to the world is not lost to us, and they will not have to continue to sacrifice with their lives.
]]>February 25, 2007
I had the incredible opportunity to coordinate a meeting between the Union of Agricultural Workers Committees (UAWC) and the U.S. farmers and farm worker delegates to Nyeleni.
Present at the meeting were Omar Doanna, UAWC and Stop the Wall, Fuad Abu Sail, UAWC, Khalid Hedmi, UAWC, Zakaraya, a Palestinian farmer, Dena Hoff, NFFC, John Kinsman and John Peck, Family Farm Defenders, Carlos Marentes, Border Agricultural Workers.
The meeting was a rare chance for farmer-activists from very different places to share farming experiences, compare notes on movement-building strategy and show that human connection can conquer political divides.
As Khalid said, “We might have a far distance between Palestine and the U.S., but we can still work together.”
When it comes to food sovereignty in Palestine and for migrant and refugee communities, additional elements must be addressed that are not necessarily the same for settled fishers or farmers. These issues can largely be summarized as the impact of war, occupation and border restrictions on farmers’ and peoples’ rights to land and resources.
I learned about the everyday challenges to working with farmers who are struggling on occupied lands and resources. Simply working within Palestine, UAWC is challenged by not being able to meet face to face with staff members and farmers in different areas of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Omar did not meet his colleagues in Gaza for 15 years. They could only communicate on the telephone.
Achieving food sovereignty under such oppressive conditions seems to be an impossible dream. But as John Peck said, “Your farmers have been able to survive, ours would be dead. We have so much to learn from you.”
Kahlid shared his experience. Key to their food sovereignty work is a seed project that develops improved, local variety seeds for basic foods and markets.
John Kinsman expressed concern about the ‘improved’ aspect of their seeds. He wondered if they were adopting Green Revolution-style approach to their seed development.
Khalid quickly explained that they are not—they do not use Genetically Modified Organisms or pesticides because they are detrimental to the environmental health of their water and families.
Their seeds, he explained, are ‘improved’ because they lost their original local seed banks through war. They had to revive their seeds and their knowledge about them.
Carlos, who is working to stop the wall along the Mexican and U.S. borders, talked with the Palestinians about how to strategize against the border wall.
Omar explained that the Stop the Wall campaign in Palestine uses two general approaches. On the national level, they work to strengthen people on the land. This means cultivating the land, planting olive trees—essentially claiming the land for Palestinian farmers. At the international level, they raise the case to the international community.
“We are sharing basically the same problem”, Omar said to Carlos. “It’s a problem for the world. It belongs to the international community—not just Mexico or Palestine.”
The meeting ended with suggestions for how U.S.and Palestinian farmers can work together in the future. Many good, imaginative ideas were put forward, including campaigning against the companies that are building the walls, fair trade through farmer-to-farmer markets, farmer exchanges, and sharing agricultural knowledge.
A day earlier Fuad told me, “It’s only through human connection like exchanges between U.S. farmers and our farmers that we can change perceptions about our struggle for land and our lives.”
I believe we did that today. Just one more gift from Nyeleni.
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Today was a perfect day. I started it by just trying to organize a meeting between fisherfolk.Sometimes it feels like a lesson in futility but then when success comes by way of chance encounter with people willing to help, it’s all worth it.
As an American, in meetings like this, I can feel very unwanted and insignificant. I usually try to blend into the background.
Today I found my voice. I told the trade working group that trade agreements hurt not just developing countries, but developed ones as well. It is not a North v. South issue.
I wasn’t sure if my voice was heard until one after another, people from around the world came to me and said, “We had no idea, please tell me more.”
The exchanges made at times like this are what make these forums important. People teaching people, finding common ground and building bridges.
[img_assist|nid=772|title=Fishing on Sélingué Lake|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=400|height=300]
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We now have electricity and running water. Getting internet is unlikely. These blogs are traveling from Sélingué (via portable USB flash drive) 2.5 hours to Bamako where there is one internet café. An organizer sits there waiting for material to upload on the Nyeleni website.
]]>We now have electricity and running water. Getting internet is unlikely. These blogs are traveling from Sélingué (via portable USB flash drive) 2.5 hours to Bamako where there is one internet café. An organizer sits there waiting for material to upload on the Nyeleni website.
Today was the opening, inaugural ceremony.
[img_assist|nid=773|title=Drumming at opening ceremony|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=100|height=75] [img_assist|nid=774|title=Singing at opening ceremony|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=100|height=75] [img_assist|nid=775|title=Mistica seeds|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=100|height=75]
We heard from the mayor of Sélingué, the women’s representative of the village and the advisor to the village leader. They welcomed us and asked us to consider Mali our home. “We may not have the comforts that you are used to but there is no lack of human warmth here.” After a lyrical presentation by a Malian singer and children, the President of CNOP (National Coordination of Peasants of Mali), the host organization, set the scene for the hard work we are here to do. “Food sovereignty,” he said, “is the only valid struggle in the world today.” He reasoned that you could lose everything in the world but not your food. “Food sovereignty,” he insisted, “is a political imperative that we must demand of the rest of the world.”We then heard testimonies from farmers, indigenous peoples, fish harvesters, and pastoralists from all regions of the world describing how their food sovereignty is being assaulted.
A woman from ROPPA (Network of Peasants and Producers of West Africa), said that they are being asked to compete with large producers. “Peasants in West Africa are not ready for this competition. We don’t want unfair competition in our sector.”
From Brazil, a woman representing the MMC (Peasant Women’s Movement), called for the development of an alternative mode of production in our society.
A U.S. fisherman representing the World Forum of Fish harvesters and Fish workers, said that “food production is the work of our hearts and hands.” He gave two examples: in Indonesia following the tsunami, the fisherfolk lost everything and it was the fisherfolk and farmers from around the world that came to help those who lost their livelihoods (before international aid reached them); in Louisiana and Mississippi, after hurricane Katrina, the fishermen and farmers lost everything too and the farmers and fishers came to help (again, before the government aid arrived). He said, “If we could do this, then we can achieve food sovereignty with our hearts and hands.”
A nomadic pastoralist from Africa talked about drought and climate change. She noted that, “we nomadic pastoralists are the among those most affected by drought and climate change.”
From Southeast Asia, a man representing Thai peasants said that food sovereignty is a political issue that involves agrarian reform and the control of resources.
A Lebanese farmer described how conflict (as defined by governments) and war (as he believes it should be called) affect food sovereignty. He pointed out that in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Separation Wall is taking 45% of agricultural land from Palestinian farmers. Farmers are not allowed to go to market. He explained that the systematic eradication of the agricultural life of the Palestinians is destroying the life of the Palestinian people. In Lebanon, the recent war led to devastating crop loss (e.g., 70% of citrus production was lost) that will take at least 15 years to recover.
There is a lot of work to be done! We will be working in several thematic working groups over the next few days that will attempt to tackle ‘what are we fighting against?’, ‘what are we fighting for?’ and ‘what do we want?’
One thing is for sure, today’s testimonies touched the hearts of everyone here. As the CNOP president said, “the only struggle worth fighting for is food sovereignty.”
I believe Nyeleni’s spirit will carry us there.
]]>February 22, 2007
I ni sógóma from Sélingué, Mali. I am sitting in the dark in my traditional Malian hut that I’ll call home for the next five days. There is no electricity, running water or connection to the outside world. We are promised that all of these things are coming in the next few days (and if we get them, you’ll be reading this blog). I can hear loud drumming and singing from our Malian hosts, who are putting on an impromptu dance show only a few feet from my hut.
[img_assist|nid=776|title=Nyeleni village|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=100|height=75] [img_assist|nid=778|title=Statue of center conference|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=100|height=75][img_assist|nid=777|title=Malian women at the conference|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=100|height=75]
I’m here in Mali for Nyeleni – Forum for Food Sovereignty. I have come to listen and learn from many of our allies and partners in the struggle for food sovereignty. I am most interested to understand how questions of sustainability, biodiversity conservation and access to and control over natural resources are being addressed by the global food sovereignty movement.
But the journey here has only begun. I arrived in this hot, dusty, dry village as the sun was coming up. After several bureaucratic bumps in the road and a long, long ride from Bamako (Mali’s capital), I and my fellow bus mates from Indonesia, Holland, Canada, Mexico and Senegal arrived with the faint view of white circular buildings. They looked ghostly in the dusty dawn but we were greeted by two organizers that quickly found us a bed in these cozy buildings. This morning I was awakened by drumming and women’s voices singing. It was a fitting way to begin this first day of the forum, which was the Women’s forum.
The organizers have gone to great lengths to ensure that women have a strong voice in the forum and the outcomes. The forum itself is symbolized by the Malian woman farmer Nyeleni, who was a woman farmer in the 1800s. She was an only child and felt that all her life she was trying to make it up to her family that she was not a son, who could farm for her family.
Beginning with a local farming competition (typically, only open to men), she went on to be known throughout Mali and the region for her agricultural products. Now, because of this forum, she is known throughout the world.
There are many women here that are seeking the same honor and respect. In the forum, today they spoke about the unique role of women in the food system. And not just the traditional sense of ‘farming’ or ‘agriculture’ but in the forests, the oceans, the mangroves. A young woman from Brazil’s MPA (Movement of Small Farmers) put out the notion that women, in fact, should be recognized as the preferential stewards of biodiversity. A woman from Nepal picked up on this and said that women’s rights should be linked to resource rights.
Today made me wonder if we can have true sustainability and conservation of our global resources if we do not have justice and rights for women everywhere
There will be several more days to mull over these types of questions. I leave you tonight with the reassuring thought that there are hundreds of determined people working from this rural village in Mali to bring all of us the rights to resources and food sovereignty for generations to come. Even if the electricity doesn’t.
]]>To access the article please click here. Feel free to contact Corrina with questions or comments at csteward@grassrootsonline.org.
]]>Come celebrate the domestic and international struggle for food sovereignty:
A two part event at BusBoys and Poets on February 19, 2007
The National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) invites you to join us at two special events on Monday February 19th (President's Day) in Washington, D.C at Busboys and Poets starting at 4:30 PM.
As the culmination of our winter meeting, NFFC and Grassroots International will facilitate a workshop in furthering the domestic campaign on Food Sovereignty. Innovative tools and methods will be shared to scale up the ongoing work for justice in the food system.
Immediately following the workshop from 6:30 - 9:30 is a dinner celebration and "send-off" for the U.S. delegation participating in the “Nyélení 2007 – World Forum for Food Sovereignty” in Mali from February 23-27. The U.S. delegation represents farmers, farmworkers, fisher-folk, NGO's, faith based and citizen/consumer organizations. A 45 person delegation from North America (U.S., Mexico, and Canada) will be joining 450 delegates from around the world in Mali. To learn more about Nyélení, visit http://www.nyeleni2007.org/.
This event co-hosted by Busboys and Poets will present the local, regional, national and international approaches to food sovereignty through the voices of those attending the Forum. A celebratory feast of small-scale family producers’ food reflects the cultures represented by the delegation through the sourcing and/or donations of Louisiana shrimp, humanely raised poultry, wild rice, local salad, and cheese from Cedar Grove/Family Farm Defenders in Wisconsin.
Please RSVP to NFFC at nffc@nffc.net as to whether you plan to attend the workshop and/or the dinner by Thursday, February 15th. We are asking for a $20 minimum donation for the dinner celebration. There is no charge for the afternoon workshop. There will also be an opportunity to bid on items donated by family farmers and local supportive businesses at our silent auction.
For more information on the work of our organizations, please check out their website: http://www.nffc.net/.
Questions? Call 202-543-5675 or e-mail nffc@nffc.net
]]>We are very excited about this historical event. Delegates from all around the world will share ideas and develop an action plan for building a food system that is equitable, healthy and sustainable.
For our part, Grassroots International will be involved in the forum in several ways. Through the support of our donors, we are providing several travel grants to give delegates from Central America and the Middle East an opportunity to participate.
We will also be present on the North American delegation where we will represent the many voices fighting for food sovereignty. Over the next few weeks, return to our blog for updates and reports from Mali.
Below is the first press release from the Nyéléni 2007 media team:
PEOPLES MOVEMENTS
BUILDING ANOTHER FOOD SYSTEM
Nyéléni 2007: Forum for Food Sovereignty in Mali,
23-27 February 2007
Farmers, fisherfolk, women’s groups, rural and urban workers, indigenous peoples, migrants, pastoralists, environmental organisations and non governmental organisations have joined hands to organise the World Forum For Food Sovereignty “Nyéléni 2007” to be held in Mali, 23-27 February, 2007.
Over 500 women and men, from 98 countries around the world will design dynamic strategies to implement global and local food systems which support small producers and consumers rather than transnational companies.
This important forum is organised by an alliance of international social movements, namely La Via Campesina, ROPPA (Network of Farmers’ and Agricultural Producers’ Organisations of West Africa), the World March of Women, the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish workers, the World Forum of Fisher Peoples, the International Planning Committee on Food Sovereignty, The Food Sovereignty Network, and Friends of the Earth. A forum in the countryside
The forum is taking place in Sélingué, a small town located 140 km from Bamako. A plenary structure and residential areas with huts and eating areas are currently being built with traditional materials and techniques to house delegates. These will be used afterwards by Malian organisations as a training centre. Building a global political agenda for change
The programme of the Nyéléni Forum allows the different sectors represented to formulate a global action agenda that will be the basis of the social movements’ struggles and activities in coming years. It is an innovative international process where delegates from 98 countries will collaborate on a global people political agenda for food sovereignty.A media event
Food is an issue that affects every human being on the planet. The forum will be an opportunity for the media to understand how consumers groups promote local food instead of globalised food, why farmers develop sustainable agriculture and fight against GMOs, what fisher folk are doing to protect the oceans, how indigenous people promote peoples’ control over land, water and seeds and oppose privatisation, why pastoralists defend their nomadic lifestyles and diverse local breeds of livestock.Nyéléni 2007 will also give journalists a fantastic opportunity to meet leaders and members of social movements from every continent, hear their stories, and consider their proposals on how to organize trade in food products based on autonomous family production, which is the basis of food sovereignty.
More information: http://www.nyeleni2007.org/
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