"The People's Caravan 2000 ˆ Citizen's on the Move for Land and Food Without Poisons" initiative, taking place between November 13-30th, 2000, is a grassroots led mass mobilization, raising awareness and building alternative initiatives to tackle the growing dominance and control of transnational corporations on our agriculture and food systems - which facilitated by the globalization process has triggered increases in pesticides use, the onslaught of genetic engineering, increased landlessness and land diversion from food production. It is also leading to the overall erosion of our food safety, security, diversity, our culture and livelihoods. These key issues constitute the major themes covered by the Caravan.
But beyond galvanizing and raising awareness on these issues, The People's Caravan 2000 also aims to celebrate our local initiatives towards more sustainable healthy agriculture as alternatives to corporate dependent systems. It hopes to foster community supported agriculture via closer linkages between farmers and consumers. And to uphold our local food diversity and knowledge, and reclaim our rights to (safe) food for all!
We hope that via lively and creative activities, debates and discussions about globalization, increasing TNC control, pesticides, genetic engineering, land reform and the impact of the WTO, we can mobilize and reach even more farmers and other sectors of the public in these countries, and beyond! As such the activities planned for the Caravan range from Press Conferences and other Media Events, to educational "Teach-in's", Seminars to Public Forums, Cultural Events and Street Theatre to Food Fares, Seed Exchanges and so on.
The Caravan aims to give voice to the issues affecting small farmers and their communities; and via the inter-cultural exchange and process of coming together, it also aims to foster campaigns to what we have currently, and build solidarity towards a push for safer, more sustainable alternatives.
The Caravan is being organized by the India based Society for Rural Education and Development and Tamil Nadu Women's Forum; UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternatives) and Nayakrishi Andolon (New Agriculture Movement) of Bangaldesh; Kilusang Magbubukid Ng Pilipinas (KMP - the Peasant Movement of the Philippines); and Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP), in collaboration with Food First of the U.S.
PAN AP, based in Malaysia, is facilitating and helping to coordinate the Caravan. Both SRED and Tamil Nadu Women's Forum are linked to over 500 grassroots organizations in South India. UBINIG will coordinate with the Nayakrishi Andolon (New Agriculture Movement) which consists of over 50,000 farming families in Bangladesh. The KMP (Peasant Movement of the Philippines) will be coordinating amongst its sectoral membership that total 800,000 landless peasants, small farmers, farm-workers, subsistence fisherfolk, rural youth and peasant women.
The Caravan will also involve several key Resource People from the Asian region as well as the U.S. who will focus on the main themes and issues of the Caravan.
Kicking off in Tamilnadu in India with a gamut of activities, a small group of resource people and farmers will then travel to Bangladesh for yet more activities; after which the group along with farmers from Bangladesh will travel to the Philippines for a host of activities there. Other partner groups in Indonesia, Japan and Korea are planning to hold their simultaneous smaller Caravan type activities.
And while the main activities are ostensibly taking place in India, Bangladesh and the Philippines, the Caravan aims to involve the participation of farmers from Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Korea in the final leg of the Caravan in Manila, on November 30th commemorating "One Year Since Seattle".
Across the vast countryside of the South, the resounding cries and demands for land, decent livelihoods and safe food have reached a crescendo at the beginning of the new millennium. For millions of small farmers, landless peasants and farm workers, fisherfolk and indigenous communities, WTO's program of trade and investment liberalization which opened the weak national economies of the South has deprived them of land, water and even threatened the survival of self-sufficient national agriculture. Indeed, globalization effectively reduced people who depend on farming and food production activities to chronic marginalization and poverty.
The process has been deeply exacerbated by indebtedness and depravation resulting from structural adjustment policies and other conditionalities imposed by international instrumentalities of globalization like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB) and the FAO. Globalization, especially though trade agreements imposed through the GATT and later the WTO stand to make the rich richer, the poor more hungry. The further linkage of agriculture specially of the South to the global market dominated by the rich countries like those from the G-8, does not address the problem of mass poverty and hunger but rather exacerbates it.
The Peoples Caravan 2000 is a project to mobilize and raise awareness among the widest range of people - from farmers, agricultural workers, to students, youths, mothers, women's groups, trade union groups, policy makers, the media etc. on the key issues of the Caravan. This is so that they can start discussing and possibly take up actions and campaigns on the issues raised. But the Caravan also aims to celebrate and uphold the abundant local diversity of our food and culture, and the alternatives, that we have in our midst.
This is the time to reassert peoples' rights to land, the right to livelihood and the right to production and market of safe foods away from the dictates and control of TNCs. In reality, food and land are not only a source of livelihood for these communities but are also the basis of their culture, and this culture is now being threatened. The key to enhancing community livelihoods, ensuring safe food and food security for all is a move away from industrialized, corporate centered farming and food production systems, and the dangerous inputs and technologies they require.
As we embrace the new millennium the world is witnessing a growing tide of resistance to these trends…citizen's are fighting back! The massive resistance to the WTO events in Seattle in December 1999, as expressed by farmers groups and other members of La Via Campesina and the International People's Assembly against the WTO, attest to the groundswell of the marginalized communities making a stand against globalization, TNC domination and control, and their negative impacts.
The People's Caravan is the outcome of discussions and collaboration amongst the partner groups working with PAN AP, who want to come together to take action on the most crucial aspects of the lives of millions of peoples in the South, especially in Asia. The People's Caravan will be a consolidation and physical output of action plans suggested by partner groups who, in collaboration with PAN AP, have undertaken work on:
The People's Caravan is a public Awareness and Outreach initiative aiming to educate, excite and mobilize people on the main themes of the Caravan.
PAN AP, as Caravan coordinator will be working with the following groups in the following countries to realize the Peoples Caravan 2000:
India - Tamil Nadu Women's Forum and the Society for Rural Education and Development (SRED), both organizations are concerned with land rights, impacts of pesticides, genetic engineering and links to globalizationˆespecially on the lives of rural women. Tamil Nadu Women's Forum works with over groups all over Tamil Nadu, while SRED works with over 200 groups. A major priority is the rights and concerns of the Dalit community (considered "untouchables" within the caste system in India), in particular, women.
Bangladesh - UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternatives) who have been very active on the issues of pesticides (and other legacies of the Green Revolution), women's reproductive health issues, genetic engineering, impacts of TNC activities especially in Bangladesh; and a key part of the New Agriculture Movement for sustainable, safe and healthy farming and food production (Nayakrishi Andolon)˜with a special emphasis on the contribution and crucial role of women in agriculture. The Nayakrishi Andolon consists of over 50,000 farming families in Bangladesh.
The Philippines - Kilusang Magbubukid Ng Pilipinas (the Peasant Movement of the Philippines), an organization of landless peasants, small farmers, farmworkers, subsistence fisherfolk, rural youth and peasant women ˆ totally a membership of 800,000. The KMP has been cited as the most significant of peasant movements is Asia. Also involved will be PAN Philippines and affiliates.
Other Countries - Additionally, other partner groups from Japan, Korea, Indonesia will holding simultaneous events in their own countries, and will be sending farmer representatives to participate in the activities taking place in the Philippines commemorating "One Year Since Seattle".
The Caravan is being organized by the above with support from Food First, based in the U.S.
India, November 13-18 - Kicking off in the Tamil Nadu region in India on November 13th, 2000, there will be 5 days of activities across several towns and districts organized by the Tamil Nadu Women's Forum and SRED˜these include Chennai, Chengalput, Tindivanam, Pondicherry, Chidambaram, Tanjore, Pudukkotai, Dindugal, Kodaikkanal, Madurai, Ararkkonam, Thakkolam, and Nemili. A small group of farmers and resource persons will then travel to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh, November 19-24 - While in Bangladesh the Caravan will be hosted and activities organized by UBNIG and the Nayakrishi Andolon (New Agriculture Movement) ˆ these include farming communities in Cormilla, Cox's Bazaar, Tangail, and Pabna as well as activities in Dhaka itself.
Philippines, November 25-30 - Subsequently, farmers from Bangladesh will join with the visiting Indian farmers, and resource people, and travel to the Philippines for the next leg of Caravan activities to be organized by the KMP, PAN Philippines etc. The Activities include Northern Luzon - specifically farmers from Isabela, Bicol, Nueva Viscaya, and Nueva Eeija. Central Luzon - involving farmers from Bicol, Camarines Sur, Quezon, and Laguna. In Mindanao - starting in Davao City, the Caravan travels to Davao del Sur and stops at General Santos City. 10 farmer delegates from Mindanao are to go to Manila for the Nov. 29 events. The Caravan is scheduled to end on November 30th with activities held to commemorate "One Year Since Seattle'.