Founded in 1986, LVC is an autonomous, pluralist international movement made up of over 200 million peasants, small-scale farmers, landless peoples, farmworkers, Indigenous Peoples, and other food producers in over 70 countries around the world. LVC is at the forefront of the fight against the corporate takeover of our food and resources. They are united – now more so than ever – by the struggle for food sovereignty, a term they originally developed, and define as the peoples’ right to control their food systems, securing nutritious, culturally appropriate food for communities everywhere. LVC defends small-scale sustainable agriculture to promote social and economic justice, cool the planet and defend a dignified life for rural peoples. In addition to food sovereignty, LVC promotes the right to water, protection of eco-resources and biodiversity, elimination of violence against women, and human rights of international migrants and agricultural workers.
The strength of LVC is defined by the fact that the movement has a clear long term vision, a mass base and a strategy based on creating solutions that address the root causes of several major issues that people and the planet face.
This World Food Day, we uplift the work of social movements to end hunger and cool the planet through agroecology and food sovereignty. We commit to standing with them for the long haul and invite other funders to join us.
Our partner La Via Campesina shares the history and continued importance of Food Sovereignty for the 25th anniversary of the concept's founding.
