« No land no life » : activities for the International Rural Women’s Day

le 15/10/2015

On the occasion of the International Rural Women’s Day, the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) stated that “massive land grabbing and plunder of resources by big local and foreign investors as well as the tightening corporate control over food and agriculture has intensified hunger, poverty and displacement, thereby killing peasant women and their communities.” Across the world, rural women tell a similar story: they till the land, they nurture the seeds, and they produce food. Study shows that rural women produce between 60 to 80 per cent of the food in most underdeveloped countries making them the key to food security.

According to estimates by FAO, supporting food production by women by 30-40% could decrease global hunger by 12-17%. This would translate to 100-150 million less hungry people in the world. “But how can we reduce hunger when the women whom we recognized as food producers are being displaced from their lands and livelihood as peasants and agricultural workers?,” remarked Zenaida Soriano, APC Southeast Asia Coordinator and Chairperson of AMIHAN (National Federation of Peasant Women) based in the Philippines.

Read more in farmlandgrab website here.