Report from the World Forum on Agrarian Reform

Every once in a while, in the midst of reports of massacres, political oppression, and natural disaster, we get a welcome reminder of the value of the work that we do here at Grassroots, and of the power of movements and organizations like our partners to find ways to move forward, in the midst of the violence and the chaos of everyday life.

Peter Rosset, a researcher at the Center for the Study of Change in the Mexican Countryside, CECCAM (http://www.ceccam.org.mx) and co-coordinator of the Land Research Action Network, LRAN (http://www.landaction.org), which co-sponsored the World Forum on Agrarian Reform (http://www.fmra.org), writes:

« The World Forum on Agrarian Reform (http://www.fmra.org), held from December 5-8, 2004, in Valencia, Spain, exceeded all expectations in terms of participation by grassroots social movements and other actors, real advances in analysis, and a renewed sense of commitment to forcing the topic of agrarian reform back into the center of the political debate over the future of rural areas worldwide. »

To read the rest of Peter’s report from the forum, click here.