World
WORLD FOOD DAY 2010
Call for action, World Food Day 2010
Every year on October 16th MIJARC is contributing to the World Food Day. In 2010 MIJARC focuses on
Stop Land grabbing! This soil is our future!
Land grabbing is an emerging phenomenon which badly hits farmers and rural poor in many parts of the world. Getting the possession of land unfairly or fraudulently can be termed as land grabbing. This is rightly a hot issue because land is so central to identity, livelihoods and food security.
One of the worst effects of the food price crisis of 2007–08 on the world food system is the proliferating acquisition of farmland in developing countries by other countries seeking to ensure their food supplies. Increased pressures on natural resources, water scarcity, and export restrictions imposed by major producers when food prices were high, and growing distrust in the functioning of regional and global markets have pushed countries short in land and water to find alternative means of producing food. In addition, global demand for agrofuels and other non-food agricultural commodities, expectations of rising rates of return in agriculture and land values, and policy measures in home and host countries are key factors driving new patterns of land investment.
Small scale farmers are losing critical access to land and water, and local communities will be further cut off from access to food and denied all rights on lands which they have cultivated for generations. Land grabbing cannot strengthen family farming and local markets and thus cannot create food systems that actually feed people. Foreign direct investment can provide key resources for agriculture, including development of needed infrastructure and expansion of livelihood options for local people. If large-scale land acquisitions cause land expropriation or unsustainable use, however, foreign direct investments in agricultural land can become politically unacceptable.
Hence MIJARC cannot accept these global land grabs.
It is therefore in the long-run interest of investors, host governments, and the local people involved ensuring that these arrangements are properly negotiated, practices are sustainable, and benefits are shared. Existing local landholders must be informed and involved in negotiations over any type of land deals. It should respect the existing land rights, including customary and common property rights as well as Environmental sustainability. Incase any body lose land should be compensated and rehabilitated to an equivalent livelihood.
Hence MIJARC demands the transparency of major operations of acquisition of land as well as the development of legal frame work guaranteeing land rights and right to food.
Finally, it is necessary that investment in food sovereignty in local markets and in the four rural billion that produce the bulk of food enabling societies to live and to extend.
This is the reason why we launched our
Public campaign on land grabbing in India on July 24th 2010
so that we can make greater awareness among people who are affected as well the political leaders who make the policies.
Proposals for actions with your group
SEE
• inform yourself and the public about the land deals
• inform yourself about international initiatives, such as “Promoting Responsible International Investment in Agriculture” of the IFAD, World Bank, FAO and UNCTAD as well as FAO “Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land and other Natural Resources, or the “Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa” of the African Union
JUDGE
• analyze together the picture and information of this poster and organise a debate on this
• invite peasants with experience in the struggle for productive resources and organise a debate.
ACT
• writing together an article on the land situation, send to the World office in order to publish it in MIJARC News
• organise a public demonstration about the problems with land grabs in your region
• create an information desk in the next city during 16th of October 2010 and discuss with urban population
• meet local and national government representatives, politicians in general, farmers organisations and NGOs and debate with them about the situation of young people.
• organise a press conference and present your opinion to the public!
Hope you will discuss the World Food Day study material and we call upon you to take actions on the following regard on the basis of your analysis.
The world team of MIJARC is wishing you all the best and a lot of actions for another world!
MIJARC World Team
