Grassroots International

Ecuadorians’ New Constitution Guarantees Resource Rights & Makes Food Sovereignty a Right

2008-10-02T17:14:06+00:00

On September 28, 2009, Ecuadorians approved a new constitution that includes an article granting nature the right to "exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in evolution." The new constitution recognizes the right of all Ecuadorians to have access to sufficient resources to feed themselves in a sustainable manner with respect to cultural differences between people and communities. A priority is local food production, recognizing implicitly that the right to adequate food represents, among many things, the right of the small food producers, harvesters and fisherpeople to acquire appropriate resources and the right to rely on the laws, measures and programs that assist them in providing food.

To learn more about Ecuador's constitution and its potential impacts on the movement for food sovereignty, check out these links:

Common Dreams
FoodFirst Information and Action Network
Global Exchange

The Via Campesina to Hold 5th International Conference

2008-10-01T17:39:56+00:00

More than 500 men and women farmers and leaders from 70 countries will gather in Mozambique from October 16 to 23, 2008 to attend the 5th International Conference of the Via Campesina. Grassroots International is providing support for its partners, including members from Brazil, Haiti, Central America and Mexico, as well as a delegation from Indonesia, to participate in the international event. Two staff members from Grassroots International will also attend part of the conference, which will focus on Food Sovereignty and the current agricultural crisis. The Via Campesina's press release outlines more details of the conference.

Manufacturing Hunger: Indonesia’s Food Crisis

2008-09-22T17:40:49+00:00

The principle of food sovereignty places local control of food production and distribution at its core. Unfortunately, throughout the world industrial farms, corporations and the policies that benefit them take that control away from local farmers and communities. In a recent report , Grassroots International's colleagues at the Oakland Institute describe this situation and its dire consequences in Indonesia where "excessive dependence on global markets, followed by the collapse of traditional agricultural structures, as well as almost non-existent social policies, have manufactured widespread hunger in Indonesia today."

Movement Groups in Haiti Unite for Action Post-Hurricanes

2008-09-19T02:18:50+00:00

Several of Grassroots International's partners and allies in Haiti released a statement following the disastrous wave of hurricanes. In their own words, they describe the deeply rooted obstacles they must overcome to rebuild a better Haiti.

Position of Numerous Organizations and Institutions on the Situation Facing the Haitian Survivors of the Hurricanes, Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike, September 14, 2008.

The organizations signing this note honor the memory of all the people who lost their lives due to the four hurricanes that have hit each of the country's 10 departments. We offer our solidarity to all of the victims' families and to all the people suffering from the consequences of the four hurricanes.

What is the situation today?

For some time Haiti has been experiencing tremendous despair and desolation that has been made worse by the 2008 hurricane season. After having been hit by Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike, we are exhausted by having to count the number of dead, the homeless, the orphans, and trying to find the people who are still missing. And on top of all this we have to calculate the terrible economic impact on the country at this time.

In nearly all corners of the country we find valleys under water, terrible landslides, vast quantities of earth washed into the sea, huge numbers of trees uprooted, many fields and gardens washed away, countless numbers of livestock drowned, and a lot of houses under water and many others destroyed. Bridges have fallen down and primary and secondary roads have been left inaccessible.

Today we find many people from the towns as well as from the rural areas in passive resignation. It is like ripping open a raw wound, since the country's economy has already taken a huge blow from the political decisions of the Haitian State intertwined with the policies of the IMF, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, World Trade Organization, USAID, etc. The inappropriate policies adopted by these international institutions, together with the bad policies of the Haitian State, have caused this ever-worsening catastrophe, leaving the country unable to respond. The State finds itself in a situation where it has lost authority. It cannot respond to the problems. It cannot manage the national territory when things are normal, much less in times of catastrophe. It does not provide its leaders with the tools to manage, nor to organize, nor to plan ahead. It is even incapable of preserving what is left of natural resources.

One reason that is often given for the way the hurricanes always hit this country is environmental degradation. However this degradation is a result of the economic, social, cultural, and political choices of the ruling class – choices based on an unequal distribution of wealth which encourages the pillage of the country's resources and allows a small group to make millions. That is why when we look at the situation that has developed in the agricultural sector, we see peasants who have difficulty in finding good soil to work with. They are obliged to sit it out in the mountains to hope to grow a little food to feed their families, while it is they in fact who keep the country's economy going.

There are other examples, such as the energy crisis that the country has been going through for some time. The State can never seem to sort out this problem which has become a stick with which to beat the population. The consumption of wood increases day by day – we find bakeries, dry-cleaners, the use of wood for scaffolding poles, all putting pressure on the environment – while at the same time nothing is done to find an alternative source of energy or to increase wood production in the country. We do not see any reforestation program or any programs to protect the environment. The absence of State policies has serious consequences for the issue of housing and other urban problems, because people build wherever they can, and shantytowns spring up like mushrooms.

This dire situation that we are living through today has come at a difficult juncture where the country is already suffering from a food crisis and an increase in the cost of living. What is even more worrying is that the humanitarian relief services are often insufficient, and unable to reach the most needy disaster victims. We have witnessed many who have been saved from the floods, only to die from a lack of food afterwards.

What is to be done? What can we do?

Confronted with this dire situation, we must stop responding with patchwork solutions. It is only by organizing a substantial long-term mobilization that the country will be able to emerge from the hole it is in. We, as human rights and progressive organizations who have signed on to this declaration/statement in complete solidarity with disaster victims, have put together a provisional structure in order to:

Act as mediators between disaster victims in the peasant community and government officials, as well as NGOs, by giving information so that the rights of the victims are recognized and so that they can get the help they need.

Assess the hurricane damage in the areas where we are working (and have established contacts), and give support and succor to those communities in their time of need.

On the other hand, we must redouble the fight to get the State to take measures to tackle the roots of the problems by:

Carrying out comprehensive agrarian reform, as called for in the country's Constitution

Clearly defining zones for agriculture, zones for construction, zones for forest use, and zones for forest conservation

Guaranteeing that the country takes responsibility for its own food production and exercises food sovereignty

Reducing the economic pressure on our natural resources, and then setting up, controlling and subsidizing other sources of energy for the country

Increasing the production of wood for consumption

Protesting against the payment of US$5 million due for debt service in September, and insisting that it instead be added to the mere 51 million gourdes (US$1.3 million) that the State has so far allocated for disaster relief

Demanding the State stop paying the external debt and instead uses the money for the reconstruction of the social, economic and physical environment of the country

Signed by the following institutions:

Platfòm Oganizasyon Ayisyen k ap Defanm Dwa Moun yo (POHDH)
Platfòm Ayisyen k ap Plede pou yon Devlòpman Altènatif (PAPDA)
Enstiti Kiltirèl Karl Leveque (ICKL)
Enstiti Teknoloji ak Animasyon (ITECA)
Sosyete Animasyon ak Kominikasyon Sosyal (SAKS)
Solidarite Fanm Ayisyèn (SOFA)
Mouvman Demokratik Popilè (MODEP)
Tèt Kole Ti Peyizan Ayisyen (TK)
Pwogram Altènativ Jistis (PAJ)
Solidarite Ant Jèn (SAJ/VEYE YO)
Mouvman Peyizan Papaye (MPP)
CHANDEL (Oganizasyon Popilè pou Edikasyon Popilè)
Sèvis Ekimenik pou Devlopman ak Edikasyon Popilè (SEDEP)
Gwoup Apwi Teknik an Animasyon Pedagojik (GATAP)
Antèn Nòdwès
Fonds International pour le Développement Economique et Social (FIDES)

For authentification:

Camille Chalmers : Platfòm Ayisyen kap Plede pou yon Devlòpman Altènatif (PAPDA)

Antonal Mortimé : Platfòm Oganizasyon Ayisyen kap Defanm Dwa Moun (POHDH)

Translated from Creole by Charles Arthur for the Haiti Support Group and edited by Salena Tramel for Grassroots International

End the Siege of Gaza

2008-09-17T13:56:25+00:00

We are proud to announce a new campaign, coordinated by Grassroots International and Jewish Voice for Peace, together with Global Exchange and Code Pink to raise $50,000 for the International Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza. The Campaign, led by Dr. Eyad el-Serraj, is Palestinian-run and -led, but requires partnerships with people like you to succeed. Please give generously.

There are few people with the courage, wisdom, and moral credibility of Dr. Eyad el-Serraj. Imprisoned by both Israelis and Palestinians for speaking out against human rights violations, he is a psychiatrist, a leader of the nonviolent anti-occupation movement, a resident of Gaza, and a hero to people of all religions and nationalities. Review his open letter calling for support to End the Siege of Gaza.

An Open Letter to Americans of Conscience

From Eyad el-Sarraj
Founder and President of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program (GCMHP); Leader of the International Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza

In late August, hope came to Gaza in the form of two small wooden boats and their 40 passengers who had sailed from Cyprus to break the 14-month-old Israeli siege. They had answered our call and after months of preparation, it was a triumphant moment when they entered our waters.

The passengers on the "Free Gaza" and "Liberty" wanted Gazans to know that the entire world would not stand passively by while they remain locked in a huge prison. They would not be quiet while more than a million people the majority of them children are being deliberately deprived of urgent medical care and medicines, of electricity and fuel to run hospitals and sewage systems, of potable water and supplies of food, clothing and raw materials.

I hope that you will not stand silently by while the people of Gaza are deprived of their dignity and all the basic requirements for a decent life. I hope that you will understand that the kind of collective punishment that Gazans have endured since June 2007 is morally wrong and a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

The siege is not just killing the spirit and in some cases the lives of Gazans. It is also sowing seeds of violence, hatred and extremism and destroying all hopes for a peaceful future in the region.

Studies carried out by the GCMHP show a frightening rise in trauma, as children fall victim to night terrors, loss of appetite, insomnia, and symptoms of panic and aggression. Adults are also suffering from panic disorders, depression and psychosomatic disorders as they struggle to cope with the deeply inhuman situation. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was right to call the siege "an atrocity, a crime, an abomination."

In the summer of 2007, GCMHP took the initiative to create a humanitarian, non-political campaign aimed at raising international awareness of Gaza's deteriorating life conditions in order to pressure the Israeli government into lifting the devastating siege.

We thought that within a year we would have achieved our aim. We were wrong. The siege continues, and so must the campaign. We are working to bring another boat to Gaza by the end of September. In October, mental health workers and other medical professionals will travel to Palestine for a conference called "Siege and Mental Health: Walls versus Bridges."

Through other "break the siege" solidarity meetings, cultural activities and demonstrations, we hope to nurture non-violent approaches that can peacefully transform the brutal reality of caged lives. The message to end the siege is a message of peace and an appeal for justice.

If you believe in freedom, human dignity and peace, we ask you to support our efforts by making a donation to end the siege. We particularly call for the support of Jewish people, whose history of trauma, discrimination and suffering should guide them to stand up today to help bring an end to the suffering of others.

Gaza City, September 9, 2008

Haiti's Deadliest Hurricane Season

2008-09-10T15:47:57+00:00

Haiti is once again confronting an emergency as Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike have ripped through the island one after the other over the past weeks. Grassroots International's partners on the ground expect the damage to far exceed past natural disasters. We need to act now to help our Haitian partners and their communities rebuild.

We are working with community-based groups in Haiti who have the capacity to deliver on commitments and the potential to stick with the issue long after emergency funding streams dry up. Grassroots takes the long view, even in a crisis. We take care to build the power fo local producers and community-based groups, and we look to the local economy for food sources first.

Our partners tell us stories of people who have been stranded on rooftops for days without food, cities and towns entirely surrounded by water and disconnected from one another. The death toll is rising by the minute. Thousands of people are counting on our partners for help. Every dollar you send can make a difference - please help in this time of emergency.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Sets Precedent in Ruling on Grassroots Grantee

2008-09-03T00:53:17+00:00

Recently Grassroots International made a grant to the Indigenous Council of Roraima through Caritas Brasil in support of their struggle to gain legal recognition of the 6,500 square mile Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous territory, in Brazil’s northern Roraima state. In what may set a significant precedent, one of Brazil’s Supreme Court justices ruled in favor of the Indigenous Council.

Two if by Sea: Overcoming the Siege in Gaza

2008-08-27T01:56:32+00:00

In a part of the world where hope is scarce, these past weeks have been one of those rare moments that have defied testing times in Gaza. More than 40 civilians from more than a dozen countries arrived on Gazan shores after a long sail from Cyprus on Saturday evening August 23, breaking the siege and bringing with them a powerful message of commitment to human rights for the Palestinian people.

Those on board the two vessels included Nobel Peace Prize nominee Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee against Home Demolitions; Lauren Booth, British journalist and sister-in-law of Tony Blair; and Anne Montgomery, an American nun. When the boats approached the shore, several thousand Palestinians sang in celebration of their arrival, some of them setting out in fishing boats or swimming to meet and embrace them.

Many had feared the worst for the passengers, with the Israeli foreign ministry stating that the journey was a "provocation" and that "all options" were under consideration to deter the boats from reaching Gaza. And then in an unprecedented gesture, they were allowed to pass. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign affairs later publicly announced that humanitarian and human rights missions to Gaza will no longer be stopped or threatened by Israel.

In the days following their arrival, the internationals spent time with Palestinians, trying to understand the reality on the ground in Gaza. Some visited hospitals, witnessing the extreme need provoked by the lack of access to quality medicine and care. Others accompanied fisher folks out to sea, their presence dissuading fire from Israeli military boats and allowing them to bring food home to their families.

Nine of the activists remained in Gaza, permitting several Palestinians to take their place and sail to Cyprus. A ten-year-old boy will receive proper medical treatment for the first time since losing his leg due to an Israeli tank shell. Another family is being reunited with their relatives after having previously been denied exit visas. The Free Gaza Movement is already planning their next delegation which will travel to Gaza later this month.

This action has received significant press, a meaningful step in the direction of ending the siege on Gaza and creating a solid peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. As Free Gaza organizer Dr. Paul Larudee put it:

This endeavor has been a huge success, far more significant and wide-reaching than anyone ever dreamt it could be. It has had obvious beneficial effects on the Palestinian people, but also on Israel. In fairness, credit must go where credit is due - despite threats or obstacles, a responsible decision was made by Israeli authorities not to interfere with our mission and this is a model for the future.

Although much work remains, perhaps for the first time in recent history, the hope for a better future is thriving in Gaza.

For more information and photos and videos of these groundbreaking developments, visit The Free Gaza Movement.

Dispatch from Haiti: War on Rice

2008-08-22T02:29:36+00:00

The Artibonite region is Haiti's rice bowl, and it could not be clearer as I traverse this lush valley. The rice fields rival those of Southeast Asia, spanning a breathtaking distance and then finally dissolving into a steep ring of mountains. A peasant working the fields is an understandably common sight around here. The more disturbing (and even more common) sight, however, is the rice imported from the US ("Miami rice") that is sold to Haitians in local marketplaces. It is unthinkable that Haitians would be forced to buy rice from the North at prices that they cannot afford in the very place they grow it.

This has not always been the case in the Artibonite. Like many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Haiti was subjected to a trade liberalization and privatization in the mid 1980's by international financial institutions like the World Bank and donor countries like the US. During this time, U.S. agribusinesses flooded the local market with massive quantities of cheap subsidized rice with which Haitian peasants couldn't compete. After the large-scale imports had succeeded in paralyzing local production, prices skyrocketed. A kilo of imported rice is now worth an average day's salary in the Artibonite.

I am spending the day with MOREPLA (Mouvman Revandikatif Peyizan Latibonit-Peasant Movement for Justice in the Artibonite), a local movement of rice producers that works with the coalition of Grassroots International's partner PAPDA (The Haitian Platform to Advocate Alternative Development). Leaders from MOREPLA explained to me that rice producers in the Artibonite potentially could have the capacity to provide livelihoods for more than 200,000 people in a department (state) that suffers a 78% unemployment rate. While they focus on advocacy for food sovereignty through rice, they see their work as a part of the bigger struggle for Haitian human rights through self-determination.

In the midst of these hard times, peasants from MOREPLA recognize their role as the principal actors capable of bringing about social change in their country. They organize themselves through an intricate structure of committees and workgroups (gwoupmons), and bond together to create a chain of nonviolent resistance. "We cannot do this alone", a farmer tells me, "we have to put our differences aside, work very hard, and unite ourselves".

Out in the fields, MOREPLA's united challenge of the status quo through local rice production is in full swing, with women and youth taking key leadership positions. Once rice is harvested, it is sold or traded at small cooperatives and city stalls that support the sustainability of home-grown victuals.

In the last of many rice farms that I visit in the Artibonite valley, I meet with a female farmer whose return on her crops provides a source of income for her entire family. As I am leaving, she takes my hand and places a few grains of delicate rice in my palm, folding her fingers over mine. She smiles softly and looks back at the span of the field in which she works. She does not have to say anything. The green expanse behind us says it all.

To learn more about the politics of rice in Haiti, this short documentary featuring Grassroots International's partner Camille Chalmers from the Haitian Platform to Advocate Alternative Development is a great resource.

Demise of Doha Negotiations a Cause for Celebration

2008-08-18T02:21:57+00:00

Grassroots International ally and grantee, the National Family Farm Coalition (a member of Grassroots' partner the Via Campesina), celebrated the demise of the recent Doha Round of negotiations at the World Trade Organization in Geneva. Grassroots supports the NFFC's and Via's demand for the WTO to "get out of agriculture" as this is imperative to realizing food sovereignty. The disastrous neoliberal trade policies pursued by the WTO benefit the "industrial agricultural complex" while harming family farmers, peasants and farm workers worldwide.

Read the NFFC's thoughts on the long-awaited end of the Doha negotiations on their website .