Grassroots Movements

Articles and reports related to the work and organization of grassroots movements for land reform, food sovreignty and land rights.

Land For Those Who Work It: Can committing a crime be the only way to uphold the constitution?
Pauline Bartolone, Clamor Magazine
September 05, 2005 - "On the news they say, 'we invaded.' The word invade is theirs. The land is everybody's. So there's no such thing as invading land that is everybody's." Hilario is part of Brazil's landless workers movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem-Terra, MST) . The backbone of their movement is land occupation. Today, 47 percent of Brazil's land is owned by just 1 percent of the population, making the country's land distribution the second most unequal in the world. As a result, a class of four and a half million people are left on the verge of starvation, without land of their own.

SIXTH DECLARATION OF THE SELVA LACANDONA (I)
Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee - General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN)
August 19, 2005 - This is our simple word which seeks to touch the hearts of humble and simple people like ourselves, but people who are also, like ourselves, dignified and rebel. This is our simple word for recounting what our path has been and where we are now, in order to explain how we see the world and our country, in order to say what we are thinking of doing and how we are thinking of doing it, and in order to invite other persons to walk with us in something very great which is called Mexico and something greater which is called the world. This is our simple word in order to inform all honest and noble hearts what it is we want in Mexico and the world. This is our simple word, because it is our idea to call o n those who are like us and to join together with them, everywhere they are living and struggling.

SIXTH DECLARATION OF THE SELVA LACANDONA (II)
Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee - General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN)
August 19, 2005 - Now we are going to explain to you how we, the zapatistas, see what is going on in the world. We see that capitalism is the strongest right now. Capitalism is a social system, a way in which a society goes about organizing things and people, and who has and who has not, and who gives orders and who obeys. In capitalism, there are some people who have money, or capital, and factories and stores and fields and many things, and there are others who have nothing but their strength and knowledge in order to work. In capitalism, those who have money and things give the orders, and those who o nly have their ability to work obey.

SIXTH DECLARATION OF THE SELVA LACANDONA (III)
Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee - General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN)
August 19, 2005 - We are now going to tell you what we want to do in the world and in Mexico, because we cannot watch everything that is happening o n our planet and just remain quiet, as if it were o nly we were where we are.

What we want in the world is to tell all of those who are resisting and fighting in their own ways and in their own countries, that you are not alone, that we, the zapatistas, even though we are very small, are supporting you, and we are going to look at how to help you in your struggles and to speak to you in order to learn, because what we have, in fact, learned is to learn.

Landless Peasants March in Brazil, Build a new Road by Walking
Deborah James, Common Dreams News Center
July 20, 2005 - On May 17th, Brazilian news media reported that 50 people were injured as landless peasants clashed with police. Like our corporate media in the U.S., this focus overshadowed the real story; that 12,000 poor landless peasants had recently completed a Herculean 150 mile, 17 day-long march across the country to raise awareness about the crucial need for land reform in Brazil.

Democracy and its Simulacra
Raj Patel, Centre for Civil Society
December 20, 2004 - Drawing on the experiences of peasant struggles and landless movements from three continents, Mr.Patel provides a sophisticated analysis of the democratization of an "agrarian revolution" emerging around the world. The author makes the case that democracy from below is the central vehicle in the struggle against World Bank rural development policy. In the words and actions of landless movement representatives and peasant organizations, who participated in the World Forum on Agrarian Reform this past December, he finds evidence that "democracy is powerful stuff".

For a world without hunger: Agrarian reform now! Report on the World Forum on Agrarian Reform
Peter Rosset, Center for the Study of Change in the Mexican Countryside (CECCAM ) &
December 17, 2004 - The World Forum on Agrarian Reform www..fmra.org, was held from December 5-8, 2004, in Valencia, Spain. More than 500 delegates came together from 68 countries in five continents, including 13 European countries, 20 countries in Africa, 18 in Latin America, 2 in North America, 16 in Asia, and 1 in Oceania. The productivity and success of the conference "exceeded all expectations in terms of participation by grassroots social movements" and has helped to provide a clear direction for ongoing work in the struggle for "land reform from below".Read More. . .

MST Asks for Urgent Action: Court of Justice of Para will sentence appeal in the lawsuit of the massacre in Eldorado dos Carajas
MST (Landless Workers Movement)
November 15, 2004 - The Court of Justice of Para will sentence appeal in the lawsuit of the massacre in Eldorado dos Carajas. On November 19th the Court of Justice of Para will sentence the appeal in the lawsuit that is investigating the participation of military policemen during the massacre in Eldorado dos Carajas.

Land Occupation in Bolivia
Econoticiasbolivia.com
September 02, 2004 - The occupation of Bolivian oil field marks the beginning of a new wave of protests, which developed in the rural areas of the country. Further actions are being carried out in the south of the country, and marches to La Paz are being prepared by landless farmers from different regions. The landless movements explained that the occupation of the oil field was a direct action against the government for the acquisition of the just entitlements [ titulación ] to their properties.

Declaration of the Via Campesina's 4th International Conference
Via Campesina
July 19, 2004 - "We, members of Via Campesina, a world-wide organization of rural women, peasants, small farmers, rural workers, indigenous people and afro-descendants, from Asia, Europe, America and Africa, met in Itaici, Brazil, from 14-19 June 2004, for our 4th International Conference. We were welcomed warmly, fraternally and in a combative spirit by our hosts, the member organizations of Via Campesina in Brazil. We gathered to confirm our determination to defend our cultures and our right to continue living as peasants and peoples with our own identity. . . . . Read More

A Place in the Country
Judy Coode, Sojourners Magazine
July 09, 2004 - A broad grassroots movement seeks land, equity, and dignity in Brazil. In the past 20 years, more than a million people in Brazil have participated in the most vibrant, well-organized, and far-reaching grassroots association in Latin America, the Landless Workers' Movement. In a country of profound economic disparity and poverty, the movement has emerged as a significant force for agrarian reform, as well as progress in education, health care, agricultural production, promotion of women's rights, and democratic participation. . . . . Read More

BOOK REVIEW To Inherit the Earth: The Landless Movement and the Struggle for a New Brazil by Angus Wright & Wendy Wolford
Constantine Markides, THE NEW FARM
July 09, 2004 -

Agrarian Crisis Sparks Nationwide Strike
Rebecca Brigham, Americas Program, Interhemispheric Resource Center (IRC)
July 09, 2004 - More than one hundred indigenous rights groups, women's organizations, human rights groups, campesino organizations, and labor unions organized the 12-hour strike that impacted most of the country, which paralyzed Guatemala. Guatemalan civil society organizations were also protesting the newly proposed regressive tax and the recent signing of the Central American FreeTrade Agreement (CAFTA). . . . Find out More

Brazil : Agrarian Reform for Informal Lands
Mario Osava, Inter Press Service (IPS)
June 03, 2004 - Nearly a quarter of Brazilian territory (200 million hectares, equivalent to the area of Mexico) does not have known landowners because there is no legal register of titles. During the previous administration, of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, the annual average number of families settled reached 80,000, while last year, under Lula's watch the total was 37,000. In addition to these formal efforts by the Brazilian government, peasant organizations have continued to push for more immediate land access in ways that have proven to be as successful. . . . . Read More

A Voice Unheard: Frustration takes its toll
Pennapa Hongthong, The Nation
May 17, 2004 - Hai Khanjanta, 76, cannot estimate how many nights she has spent camping in front of Government House in Bangkok over the past 27 years, demanding compensation for the paddy fields she lost when waters from a government-built dyke flooded her family's land. The Thai government seized her land for the public[interest], but won't allow Khanjanta to stay on public space to seek compensation. . . . . Read More

Peasants of the World Need. . . .
Via Campesina
April 29, 2004 - Via Campesina is pressuring the United Nations Human Rights Commission to reconginze the rights and needs of peasants around the world. This list of 5 demands was presented at the 60th session meeting. We, the peasants are the producers of food that feed the peoples . . . .Read More

Peoples' Caravan Delegates Arrested in Nepal
Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific (PANAP)
April 29, 2004 - Around 100 delegates who had attended the Public Launch of the Peoples Caravan for Food Sovereignty gathered in a peaceful demonstration near Ratna Park in downtown Kathmandu. The protestors, both foreign and local, were then pushed unto the back of the trucks and taken to Police Headquarters where many were questioned about the action. They were released later in the evening. Protest actions have become a daily occurrence on the streets of Kathmandu. And just as pro-democracy movements have intensified, so have incidences of police suppression of these actions.

Taboo in the Countryside,Thank You MST
Cândido Grzybowski
April 27, 2004 - Probably in Brazil there exists no greater taboo than the centuries-old question, the agrarian question. But there is no question that is more current because it is not limited to the countryside itself, nor to its population. Racism, sexism, inequalities of all types and so many of our other blemishes have their roots well hidden in the agrarian structure. In this article Grzybowski argues that the MST and their focus on land reform and agrarian justice should be of concern to all Brazilian citizens and all those who value justice.

Tides Shift on Agrarian Reform: New Movements Show the Way
Peter Rosset, Co-Director, Food First
April 15, 2004 - Peasant organizations around the world have been pushing for land reform on their terms in new ways. In early 2000 the landless members of the Honduran Peasant Movement of Aguán decided to take matters into their own hands. Some 900 families occupied a 5000 hectare site of state owned land in Colón. The land was the former base of the Regional Center for Military Training (CREM) during the 1980's where the U.S. trained the contra forces against the Sandinistas in Nicaragua.

For Indians, Land is Life Itself
Mario Osava, Inter Press Service (IPS)
April 06, 2004 - Just before Christmas, some 3,000 Guarani Indians invaded 14 ranches that they claim as part of their ancestral land. The press has reported rumours that the ranchers will hire gunmen to forcibly evict the Indians from the farms. Under the Brazilian constitution, the local indigenous community has a right to that land, which cancels out the land titles reportedly held by the ranchers

LPM Condemns the Detention of APF Activists
Landless People's Movement
March 30, 2004 - The Landless People's Movement (LPM) is a grassroots organization that seeks access to land and resources for landless South Africans. The LPM also works to actively resist World Bank land privatization schemes. This press release condemns the violent arrest and apartheid-like detention of 52 Anti-Privatization Forum (APF) activists.

Globalization and Social Movements: A Brazilian Perspective
Joao Pedro Stedile, MST (Landless Workers Movement)
March 09, 2004 - On October 20, 2003, one of the leading spokespersons of the MST (Landless Wokrers Movement) of Brazil, Joao Pedro Stedile, presented a public lecture in Toronto. Mr.Stedile provided an overview of the present crisis of neoliberalism, gauging the strategic responses of dominant institutions to this crisis as well as the challenges and opportunities that the momet affords social movments mobilizing for progressive change. Mr.Stedile addresses matters related specifically to Brazil and Latin America in general.

International Day of Farmers' Struggle 17 April
Via Campesina
February 26, 2004 - During the Ministerial Conference in Cancun, peasants, indigenous, youth and other sectors of civil society organized against neo-liberal policies and the WTO. Together these groups were able to stop the WTO through strong actions in Cancun and other parts of the world. Through mobilization and organizing these groups convinced some governments to resist neo-liberal policies and to stop destructive international negotiations that provoke disintegration, increase poverty and bring misery to rural areas. During the World Social Forum and the International Peasant Forum held in Mumbai, India, in January of this year strategies and plans of action were drafted with social movements in resistence and struggle against neo-liberal policies. The International Day of Peasant Struggle is an important part of this common agenda, and we call everybody, worldwide, to action on this day.

TAKE ACTION-People’s struggle for land rights in India
Global Campaign for Agrarian Reform, La Via Campesina & FIAN
February 17, 2004 - Ekta Parishad, a grassroots movement defending the land rights of the rural poor, has started in Orissa, India on 30th January a large mass action in the form of a Yatra (foot march) in order to document human rights violations cases, mobilize the communities affected and demand urgent action from the government.

Memorandum To President Thabo Mbeki
Landless People's Movement
November 13, 2003 - A memorandum to President Thabo Mbeki issued by the Landless People's Movement of South Africa. The LPM openly criticizes the general treatment of landless citizens by the South African government inlcuding the forced removal of almost a million people from their homes. The LPM makes six demands on the South African government to rectify these and other injustices.

Backgrounder Part III-Learning to participate, the MST experience
Mônica Dias Martins, University of Ceará
November 06, 2003 - In the third and final part of this report on land reform in Brazil, Monica Martins explores the impact of World Bank land policies on peasants and the landless. Focusing on the struggles of the MST, Martins provides a brief history of political and economic forces that have mobilized the MST and continue to shape their stuggle for land.

To Fight for the Land and to Learn from the Struggle
Thierry Deronne, Translated by Greg Wilpert and Nathan Converse
October 16, 2003 - A Press Conference was held prior to the International Conference of Resistance and Solidarity of the indigenous peoples and peasants in Caracas on August 30, 2003. The transcript includes interviews with some confernce participants prior to the conference, which was held October 11-14, 2003 in Venezuela.

Urgent Appeal for Support for Landless Tenants Movement
People's Rights Movement (PRM)
August 07, 2003 - Anjuman Mazarain Punjab's (AMP) historic struggle has stunned the Pakistani state into virtual paralysis. After over 2 months of sustained state repression on Okara military farm, paramilitary Rangers forces have been forced to remove the majority of barricades and road blocks leading to and from the 19 villages in the area. This retreat is a tribute to the ongoing resistance of the more than 100,000 residents of the area, and the almost one million people across the province struggling for ownership rights of 68,000 acres of state land under the banner of AMP.

NLC National Office: Letter to Partners
NLC National Office
July 23, 2003 - The Board of the NLC dismissed the NLC Director, Zakes Hlatswayo last Wednesday in what can only be described as a "witch-hunt". The decision to dismiss Zakes is seen by the major stakeholders in the NLC as being motivated primarily by politics of containment. The board’s strategy has been to suppress and intimidate the NLC staff who are most vocal in their support for the Landless People's Movemement (LPM) and its activities, such as the march during the WSSD. The second reason is what is increasingly being seen as an attack with serious racist undertones by a pre-dominantly white board.

LPM REJECT NLC BOARD’S EFFORTS TO CRUSH LANDLESS STRUGGLE
Landless People's Movement National Council
July 23, 2003 - The Landless People’s Movement - an independent national movement of poor and landless people struggling for land reform across South Africa - rejects and condemns the decision of the National Land Committee’s(NLC) Board to dismiss NLC Director Zakes Hlatshwayo, and demands that the Board immediately withdraws this decision and restores Hlatshwayo to his rightful place as the head of the NGO network that has previously supported our movement.

NLC Network Staff Reject NLC Director's Dismissal
National Land Committee
July 23, 2003 - The National Staff Forum of the National Land Committee (NLC) Network - a national network of 10 land rights NGOs - unreservedly rejects and condemns the decision of the NLC Board to dismiss NLC Director Zakes Hlatshwayo, and demands that the NLC Board immediately and unconditionally reverse this decision.

Crisis in South Africa Land Reform Movement
Landless People's Movement
July 18, 2003 - The Landless People's Movement (LPM) rejects and condemns the decision of the National Land Committees(NLC) Board to dismiss NLC Director Zakes Hlatshwayo, and demands that the Board immediately withdraws this decision and restores Hlatshwayo to his rightful place as the head of the NGO network that has previously supported our movement.

MST and Via Campesina Launch Campaign Against the Latifundio
Dawn Plummer, Friends of the MST
April 11, 2003 - Throughout the month of April, the MST and the other peasant movements that make up the Via Campesina around the world will be involved in activities to denounce the large-landholder system and in favour of agrarian reform.

The Right of Peasants to Produce Food is in Danger
Via Campesina
April 09, 2003 - Millions of peasants have been evicted from their farming land. The development of huge plantations for cash crops aimed at exportation and industries, and the rapid increase of other land use forms such as the construction of hotels, golf courses and supermarkets haven taken away the land from the peasant often in the name of national development.

Press Release: Phillippine Farmers on Hunger Strike
Task Force Mapalad (TFM)
February 10, 2003 - October 23, 2002- Fifteen Task Force Mapalad (TFM) farmers from landholdings formerly owned by heirs of the late Roberto S. Benedicto in Negros, Occidental declare a hunger strike today in front of the Department of Agrarian Reform.