During the World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal, in February 2011, social movements, organizations of small food producers and other CSOs released a collective appeal against land grabbing. Over 650 organizations have already endorsed it. If your organization has not signed on yet and would also like to support this appeal, please do so before 7 October 2011.
The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) based in Rome at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is currently negotiating Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests. These Guidelines are supposed to protect and strengthen the access to land, fisheries and forests of small food producers. Unfortunately some powerful governments, with the support of International Financial Institutions, are reluctant to adopt strong Guidelines. They prefer a system of governance that facilitates the take-over of people's natural resources by corporate investors and other powerful actors.
Peasants affected by land grabbing will hand over the Dakar Appeal, together with the names of organizations endorsing it, to governments during the negotiations on the Guidelines in Rome from 10-14 October.
This mobilization will also contribute to pressure governments to definitively reject the World Bank-driven Principles for Responsible Agricultural Investment (RAI).
Land grabbing has to be stopped, it cannot be made "responsible"!
Please read and sign the petition here: http://www.dakarappeal.org
