Families in Brazil Face Devastating Floods; Social Movements Respond
Given the hardship these families are going through now and for months to come, we are calling upon all people of conscience to take action in solidarity.
Saulo Araujo, Author at Grassroots International
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Major Land Rights Victory for Maya Q’eqchi and Mopan of Southern Belize
The Caribbean Court of Justice, Belize’s highest appellant court, ruled that the Maya Indigenous People of southern Belize have rights to lands they have customarily used and occupied. The Court affirmed that these traditional land rights constitute property within the meaning of the provisions of the Belize Constitution that generally protect property free from discrimination.
After almost a decade of legal struggle, the April 20th judgement finally upholds the rights of the indigenous Maya to their ancestral lands.
Grassroots International has supported he Maya Leaders Alliance, a lead plaintiff in the case and community voice for indigenous rights and cultural.
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General Strike in Brazil: Social Movements Lead the Way Toward Constitutional Rights
Millions of Brazilians are marching today (July 11) in another demonstration of the vitality of national social movements. The demonstrations taking place in different major cities across the country follow last month’s historic marches.
Building on the political momentum created by the massive mostly youth-led demonstrations, today’s show of force will include both organized labor and social movements, marching side-by-side to demand political reform and expanded constitutional rights.
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Agroecology Grows Food and Self-Sufficiency
The embattled northeastern Brazilian state of Maranhão is experiencing its worst drought in 50 years. Yet in the midst of this brutal dry spell, one farmer settlement is brimming with abundant vegetables, fruits and crops.
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Debunking the Myths of GMOs, GRAIN Report
The stories of industrial agriculture as the only solution to end hunger re-emerge here and then, like weeds. At least, as biological indicators of soil quality and fertility, weeds are telling us the truth. The myth that we need to have petroleum-based agriculture and monocrops to feed the world is a lie that agribusinesses like Monsanto want to feed us.
But, as stewards of the Earth, we will need to continue uprooting those myths. GRAIN has published another great report (GMOs: Fooling – er “feeding”- the world for 20 years) that debunks the myths of GMOs and industrial agriculture.
It is a great educational material. Kudos to our colleagues at GRAIN.
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Haiti needs solidarity, not soldiers: First-hand account from a Brazilian peasant leader
João Pedro Stedile visited Haiti last month during the 40th anniversary of Haiti’s Peasant Movement of Papaye (MPP). He is a member of the National Coordination of the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement (MST) and the Via Campesina International (both Grassroots’...
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Peasant Families Nourishing the Next Generation, One School at a Time
Peasant farmers from Brazil’s central plateau delivered more than three tons of fresh vegetables and homemade cakes, cookies and cheese to local schools last week. This was the first delivery as part of the National Program of School Meals (PNAE) and marks a significant step toward food sovereignty in a region threatened by the expansion of agro-fuels plantations and GMO seeds.
Spearheaded by Grassroots International partner, the Popular Peasant Movement (MCP), 40 families delivered the locally grown, organic food to local schools in Goiás state. And MCP families are already working in the next batch.
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Mayan and Garifuna Indigenous in Belize Demand Respect for Their Ancestral Land
Roughly the size of New Jersey, Belize is one of the smallest countries in Central America. The country is also in the epicenter of the Mayan territory. More than half of Belize’s population of 300,000 are Mayan indigenous and Afro-descendants, known as Garifunas.
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Honduran Peasants Resist Land Grabbing, Occupy Farms
Last month, Honduras passed legislation to allow the construction of charter cities in the ancestral land of Afro-descendant Garifunas and peasant communities.
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Brazilian government recognizes Kaiowá’s territory
After national and international pressure, the National Indigenous Affairs Agency (FUNAI) of Brazil acknowledged that 41.571 hectares of disputed territory belong to the Kaiowá-Guarani. The Indigenous Kaiowá-Guarani are the single largest indigenous group in Brazil. When faced with the invasion...
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Nut Harvesters Are Changing the Local Economy
Maranhão is one of the poorest Brazilian states. Despite its wealth of natural resources, 62.3 percent of the population lives below the poverty index defined by the World Health Organization, with the poorest families living in rural areas. Landlessness is...
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Seeds Help Communities Raise Hope, Independence
The state of Goiás, located in the Central Region of Brazil, is facing immense environmental and social challenges due to the expansion of agribusinesses there, especially export-oriented agro-fuels plantations. The monoculture cultivation of sugar cane for ethanol is displacing indigenous...
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Brazil: stories of a paradise
In 2010, CBS’s 60 Minutes news program interviewed Eike Baptista, the wealthiest man in Brazil, to shed some light on the situation of the country. The producers of 60 Minutes could have interviewed scholars, politicians and activists from their considerable...
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Hunger Strike Aims to Stop GMO Corn in Mexico
By Claire Gilbert and Saulo Araujo
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Build Back Better Mantra Unfulfilled in Haiti
In the third anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, the “build back better” mantra has vanished from the news, along with promises of funding and support for a new Haiti.
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Protests erupted in Haiti
On Wednesday, a few days, before the third anniversary of the 2010 earthquake, a legal case involving former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide generated turmoil in the capital of Port-au-Prince. Hundreds of Aristide supporters marched towards the place where he is being...
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Pain and Hunger in California’s Blueberries Fields
Recently David Bacon, whose work amplifies the voices of those who otherwise might be unheard, shared the story of Lorena Hernandez. Lorena is a single mother and farmworker laboring in California’s agricultural fields. Like so many other women whose stories need to be heard, Lorena describes the physical violence caused by economic exploitation, and hunger.
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Agroecology, Food Sovereignty and the New Green Revolution
Eric Holt-Giménez, from Food First, and Prof. Miguel Altieri, UC-Davis, published another powerful article that certainly will serve as food for thought and action by those working to change the current [corporate] food regime. According to the article, the Green...