Responses on the World Food Crisis :

1
Responses on the World Food Crisis

• Few observations from small marginal peasants
  in India

Ms. Ujjaini Halim Institute for Motivating Self
Employment (IMSE), India
2
Land Alienation A major threat to smallholders

• Around 95 smallholders in India
• Lack of access to Resources
• Land alienation intensified (in line with
  neo-liberal policies) SEZs, large scale agro-fuel
  production, privatisation of common resources
• High costs of inputs making production
  unprofitable (without support from the state)
• Genuine Agrarian reform agenda has taken a back
  seat, despite several national/international
  commitments (RTF, ICARRD, VGRF)

3
Key Impacts

• Destruction of livelihoods of small farmers
  rural labourers, women more affected
• Large scale CAL, SEZ (64,000 hec) further
  concentration of land
• Denial of access (physical and economic) to
  productive resources (land, water, CPR),
  Privatisation of water, patents of seeds
• Evictions, displacements, violations migrations
• Decrease in per capita landholding from 0.30 hec
  to 0.27 hec
• Environmental pollution
• Jobless growth of economy, rural unemployment
  increasing alarmingly
• Lower wages

4
Land Acquired in Singur
In the name of PUBLIC PURPOSE the Government of
West Bengal COMPULSORILY ACQUIRED 997.11 acres of
fertile agricultural lands in Singur through Land
Acquisition Act 1894 and gave the same to TATA's
(Indias largest MNC) for construction of an
automobile manufacturing unit there in
collaboration with FIAT. The process is declared
complete in only 4 months amidst wide-scale
discontents
5
LIVELIHOODS DESTROYED

• The majority of the residents (75) are
  small-scale and marginal farmers with an average
  land holding of 2.5 to 5 acres. They depend
  solely on agriculture for livelihoods.
• The lands acquired by the state are multi
  cropping agricultural lands with a cropping
  density of 220 with a well established system
  of irrigation.
• Livelihoods of around 30,000 people affected in
  Singur as they were dependent on agrarian economy
  as peasants, share croppers, agricultural
  labourers and other rural stakeholders
• Peasant women are worst sufferers

6
Peasants faced violations

• The physical acquisition took place under the
  cordon of a strong police force and no neutral
  presence was allowed in Singur during the process
  
• A state of emergency was then imposed on Singur
  (75 days), barring people from outside to enter
  and all public meetings, gatherings and
  processions were banned during the eviction
  process.
• On 2nd December 2006 police goons ransacked
  the villages, brutally attacked the villagers and
  destroyed properties
• Women faced severe gender violence
• on 18 December 2006, 18 year old activist girl,
  Tapashi Mallick, was raped and murdered, her
  charred body was found inside the fenced-off area
  for the proposed TATA Motors small car project.

7
Land Distribution in India up to 2007
8
GAR Challenges Ways Ahead

• Land Equality Measures to fulfil commitments of
  GAR
• Rejection of global policies (World Bank model
  of LR) which weaken LR and destroy livelihoods of
  farmers
• Protection from forced evictions upholding RTF
  principles and obligations (bilateral agreements,
  AOA)
• Effective participation grassroots democracy to
  be strengthened
• Recognition Customary Informal and tenancy
  rights to be documented and acknowledged
• Non Discrimination Womens rights to be
  effectively protected
• Promotion of peoples alternative Food
  Sovereignty

9
Enabling Victims to take part in the decision
making and implementation

• A considerable part of one billion Euro (allotted
  for food crisis) should go to CSOs/NGOs/CBOs for
  establishing successful alternatives and ensuring
  realisation of RTF (e.g. social audit, monitoring
  based on VGRF, ICAARD commitments)
• An inclusive process needs to be established,
  with a bottom up approach, in identifying key
  actors while planning the utilisation of one
  billion Euro

10
We Urge EU Member States to

• Play a significant role in motivating developing
  nations to mainstream RTF in their food policies
  programmes (respecting implementing
  commitments) and to support smallholders by
  providing those supports/services which they
  need to ensure livelihood security
• Respect their obligations under RTF and promote
  such policies (protecting promoting
  smallholders) which would address the root causes
  of food crisis and would lead to a sustainable
  solution (including climate change concerns)
• Broad base the process of developing Guidelines
  on CAL ,State land management, agro-fuel, climate
  change (FAO) etc.