MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

A call for civil disobedience against the privatisation of peasant seeds

Published

9 months ago

January 10, 2024

For thousands of years, communities have nurtured and taken care of the crops and seeds that sustain us. Seeds are part of human history, work and knowledge systems, and our relationship with them is a never-ending conversation of care. This mutual nurturing has given rise to specific ways of cultivating, sharing, feeding and healing that are linked to community norms, responsibilities, obligations and rights.

People’s freedom to work with seeds hinges on the responsibility of communities who defend and maintain them, who care for them and enjoy the goods they provide. And this freedom is under threat.

Today there is a strong assault on people’s seeds. It comes from the drive to regulate, standardise and privatise seeds to expand markets for corporations. This is done through plant breeders’ rights and patent laws, as well as seed certification schemes, variety registers and marketing laws. Whatever the form, it is about legalising abuse, dispossession and devastation.

Today’s attack on seeds aims to put an end to peasant and Indigenous agriculture, an end to independent food production. Where peasant food sovereignty prevails, it is difficult to turn us into cheap and dependent labour, people without territory and without history. We face a coordinated political and technocratic crusade to impose uniform and rigid laws and regulations in favour of agroindustry. There is a determined effort to discredit people’s historical practices and ancestral indigenous peasant knowledge in order to make us dependent on corporations. Communities who have resisted have faced criminalisation, repression, and even imprisonment

Whether in Africa, Asia, Europe or the Americas, communities are fighting this pressure and we are united and mobilised to actively support them.

– In Benin, social movements have stopped the national parliament from discussing a law proposal to join UPOV, the Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties. UPOV sets global standards for seed privatisation in favour of transnationals like Monsanto/Bayer, Syngenta and Corteva.

– In Guatemala, Indigenous peoples are in the streets demanding that their government’s proposed bill to adopt UPOV standards be scrapped as well. They call it “the Monsanto Law” and its rejection is part of an ongoing nationwide strike.

– In El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, groups are working together to prevent the adoption of a new ruling that would open the doors to genetically modified seeds in all three countries at once.

– In Thailand, civil society organisations are fighting hard against free trade agreements that impose UPOV instead of protecting the rights of farmers and other rural communities to maintain and use their local seeds.

-In Indonesia, farmers and civil society organisations continue to reject UPOV, which is being imposed through free trade negotiations and under pressure from countries like Japan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4pD_yZG1lc

-In the Philippines, farmers, scientists, concerned citizens and civil society organizations filed an environmental case to the Supreme Court to stop the commercial propagation of the genetically modified golden rice that is patented by Syngenta and other agrochemical corporations. Moreover, Filipino farmers are spearheading the fight for the recognition and strengthening of farmers’ rights to seeds and farmers’ seed system by forwarding seed commoning as an alternative to the UPOV-like laws in the country.

– Internationally, peasant and other social movements are also trying to get the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) translated into enforceable national laws.

We are determined to resist the dispossession of seeds from the hands of the people. We vigorously oppose registration, certification, patenting and marketing schemes, treaties, conventions, national and international laws and legal frameworks such as UPOV and other seed laws that promote the dispossession of the common goods and knowledge of our peoples.

We, as peoples in resistance, guardians of the seeds, will continue keeping, sharing and reproducing our seeds so our presence will germinate from our roots.

Signatories (Only organisation name displayed):

ABSDD/Slow Food	Burkina Faso
Acción Comunal	Colombia
ACDIC	Cameroun
AFSA	Africa region
agrarinfo.ch	Switzerland
AgriMovement	Lebanon
AIFFRS	India
AKban Mague	Colombia
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation	USA
A lo Verde Escuela de Huertos Agroecologicos	Ecuador
Alliance pour le Développement Durable et pour l’Environnement	Côte d’Ivoire
Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture	India
Amigos unidos con amor hojas de agricultura	Colombia
Anti-mining struggle committee	India.
ANAGAVEC	Ecuador
APBREBES	Global/Switzerland
Aravali Bachao	India
ARBA (Asociación para la recuperación del bosque autóctono)	Spain
Aseas	Colombia
Asoproorgànicos	Colombia
Association des Jeunes Agriculteurs de la Casamance	Senegal
Asociación de mujeres unidas por el desarrollo juanchopuquio encañada	Peru
Asociación Ecoaldea Aldeafeliz	Colombia
Asociacion Agroecologia y Fe	Bolivia
Asociación PROBIVIR	Colombia
Association pour la Défense de l’environnement et des Consommateurs (ADEC)	Sénégal
Asociación Shuar Sharup de cuidado y protección de semillas.	Ecuador
Association Sénégalaise des Producteurs de Semences Paysannes	Senegal
Association Tunisienne de Permaculture	Tunisie
Atukpamba y Red de Guardianes de Semillas de Ecuador	Ecuador
Audace Institut Afrique	Côte d’Ivoire
Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Labour Federation (BAFLF)	Bangladesh
Badabon Sangho	Bangladesh
Bendito Prashadam	Colombia
BioThai	Thailand
Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya	Kenya
Biodiversity Information Box	Japan
Biowatch South Africa	South Africa
Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU)	India
Building Futures	USA
Cabildo Indígena de la cuenca del Río Guabas	Colombia
Cámara Verde de la Amazorinoquía	Colombia
Campesinos construyendo futuro	Colombia
Caritas Diocese of Malakal (CDoM)	South Sudan
Casa de semillas El Origen	Colombia
CCPA	Sénégal
CEIP	Colombia
CENDA	Bolivia
CERAI	Spain
Chile Mejor sin TLC	Chile
Chilis on Wheels	United States
C.netzero	DRC
City Mouse Garden	United States
COAG	Spain
Coati	Colombia
Cocapeutas Cooperatica Mujeres Medicina	Peru
Colectiva de mujeres Muralistas	Colombia
Colectivo Agroecológico Del Ecuador	Ecuador
Colectivo Cultura Saravita	Colombia
Colectivo por la Autonomía / Saberes Locales	México
Colombia Humana	Colombia
Colectivo Minga de soberanía alimentaria deChia	Colombia
Colectivo Semilla Negra	México
Colectivo Xiegua	Colombia
Comité de Derechos Humanos de la Sierra Norte de Veracruz	México
Comité Ouest Africain des semences Paysannes	West Africa
Commission of Charity and Social Actions – Caritas Dalat	Viet Nam
Comunidad Moneda Luna	Colombia
Comunidad Rural de la Buitrera	Colombia
comunidad kishuar Amazanga	Ecuador
Cooperativa Huacal	México
Coordinadora Ambiental Popular de Santa Rosa de Cabal	Colombia
COPAGEN	West Africa
CORDES MAELA RENAF	Colombia
Corpalabra	Colombia
CORPONIMA	Colombia
Corporación Aluna	Colombia
Corporación Creare Social	Colombia
Corporación Compromiso	Colombia
Corporacion Frutos de Utopía	Colombia
Corporación Síntesis	Colombia
Corredor biológico Montes del aguacate costa Rica	Costa Rica
CREATE	INDIA
CSRD	India
CSFdeepinnerMusic	Netherlands
Cuatro Rumbos Para Ti	México
CULTIVISA	Colombia
Cultivo Lo Nuestro	Colombia
Custodios de Semillas Ancestrales	Colombia
Darbar Sahitya Sansada	India
DESMI, A.C.	México
Ecofeminisarte	Colombia
Ecosinergia	Colombia
EdibleBristol	UK
El Jilote, SPG	México
Enda Pronat	Senegal
ESAL	Colombia
Escuela de Líderesas del Ecuador, y mujeres por el cambio, y defensa por la salud de los pueblos	Ecuador
Evobiota Consultancy Corporation	Philippines
Extinction Rebellion València	España
FAEB / Federation Agroecologique du Benin	BENIN
FIAN Indonesia	Indonesia
Finca Carrizales	Colombia
Frente de lucha Ambiental Delia Villalba	Uruguay
Friends of the Earth Nigeria	Nigeria
Fundacion Ambiental	Colombia
Fundacion Avá	Argentina
Fundación Julia Márquez	Colombia
Fundacion Biosistemas Integrados	Uruguay
Fundación la COSMOPOLITANA	Colombia
Fundacion Luna Arte	Colombia
Fundación Runakawsai	Ecuador
Gealac	Peru
Gender Justice	Zambia
Glesi	Netherlands
Good Food Community	Philippines
GRAIN	International
Grassroots klimaatboerderij	Belgium
Grassroots Trust	Zambia
Groupe d’action Écologique pour le développement intégral	RDC
Grow Local Colorado	United States
Grupo Allpa	Ecuador
Grupo Raquira Silvestre SAS	Colombia
Grupo Semillas	Colombia
HEKS Swiss Church Cooperation	Switzerland
Humaine	Belgique
Huerta comunitaria y Jardín Polinizador Con Ojos de Amor	Colombia
Huerta Marsella	Bogota
Huertas Swa Cho	Colombia
Huerto Agroecológico Atemajac	México
Incredible Edible Lambeth	United Kingdom
Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative	Kenya
Instituto Agroecológico Latinoamericano México	México
Instituto Humanitas	Perú
ISRA	Sénégal
JAL Diviso	Colombia
Joint Action for Water	India
Junta de agua vereda laureles	Colombia
JVE Côte d’Ivoire	Côte d’Ivoire
Kikandwa Environmental Association	Uganda
Laboratorio de Tierras	Ecuador
La Via Campesina East and Southern Africa	Zimbabwe
La Tucaneta	Colombia
Lapapaya	Colombia
La Cité Idéale	Burkina Faso
La Cuica Cósmica	Ecuador
La Savia	Colombia
Les amis de la Terre	Togo
Lideresa social	Colombia
Kansas interfaith Action	USA
Karnataka State Farmers Association (KRRS)	India
Malaysian Food Sovereignty Forum (FKMM)	Malaysia
MASIPAG	Philippines
Mesa Departamental de Diálogo y Concertación Agraría, Étnica y Popular de Nariño
Methods Lab	United States
MINGAnet	Colombia
Mink’a Comunicación	Argentina
Mirachik	Ecuador
Mouvement d’Action Paysanne	Belgium
Mouvement des jeunes pour l’agriculture,l’agroécologique,et Agro pastorale (M.J.A.A.P)	R.D.Congo
Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR)	Sri Lanka
Movimiento Agroecológico de América Latina y el Caribe-MAELA	Colombia
Movimiento Campesino de Papaye	Haïti
Movimiento pacto histórico	Colombia
Movimiento Rural Cristiano	España
Mujeres que reverdecen	Colombia
Munsenga cooperative	Zambia
National Alliance for Agroecology The Gambia	Gambia
NeverEndingFood.org	Malawi
Ntaamba Hiinta Development Trust	Zambia
Ofraneh	Honduras
ojoVoz	Mexico
OK Seed Project	Japan
ONG YVEO	Côte d’Ivoire
Organisation des Ruraux pour une Agriculture Durable	Benin
Organización campesinos construyendo futuro (OCCF)	Colombia
Panitar Pally Unnyan Samiti	India
Paralegal Alliance Network	Zambia
Perkumpulan INISIATIF	Indonesia
Perkumpulan Kediri Bersama Rakyat (KIBAR)	Indonesia
Plataforma del País Valencià per un tren públic, social i sostenible que vertebre el territori i refrede el planeta	Spain
Primavera Zur	Colombia
Promotores ambientales del eje cafetero	Colombia
Proyecto agroecologico familiar y educativo ambiental sueño verde	Colombia
PTR Associates	USA
Punarchith	India
RADD	Cameroun
Radio Bénin	Bénin
RECHERCHE SANS FRONTIÈRES RSF	RD Congo
Red de Agricultores Urbanos Bogotá	Colombia
Red de consumo Responsable y consciente	Colombia
Red Colombiana de Agricultura Biológica de Antioquía	Colombia
Red de Custodia de Semillas Criollas y Nativas (CESTA)	Colombia
Red de foresteia análoga	Ecuador
Red de huertos agroecológicos de Cali	Colombia
Red de huertos urbanos	Colombia
Red de Resersvas / Resnatur	Colombia
Red de semillas criollas y nativas	Uruguay
Red de semillas libres de Colombia	Colombia
Red Distrital de Agricultores	Colombia
Red en defensa del Maiz	México
Red Kunagua	Colombia
Redmac	Colombia
REDMUNORCA	Colombia
Red de Pueblos Hermanos	Colombia
Red de jóvenes por la Agrobiodiversidad	Perú
Red Yuma	Colombia
Regional Schools and Colleges Permaculture	Kenya
Reservorio de Semillas Techotiva	Colombia
RESNATUR – Red de reservas	Colombia
Reseau JINUKUN	Benin
Resource Institute of Social Education	India
Salt Films	India
Sanwad	India
Save Earth Save Life Movement	India
Save Our Rice Campaign	India
Secretaria de educación de Bogotá	Colombia
Seed In A Box	Lebanon
Semillas de Nuestra Tierra	México
Semilla Nativa Colombia	Colombia
Semillas de Identidad – SWISSAID	Colombia
Serikat Buruh Migran Indonesia Kalbar	Indonesia
SERVIHUERTA	Colombia
Siyada network	Arab région
Société civile environnementale et agro-rurale du Congo	RDC
Sociedad libre y Neocampesina	Colombia
Soil if Cultures	New Zealand
South India Coordination Committee of Farmers Movements	India
SSN	England
Ssfafrica.com	Zambia and Africa
Sukrutham	India
Synergie Nationale des Paysans et Riverains du Cameroun	Cameroun
Tanzania Alliance for Biodiversity	Tanzania
Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam	India
The Ecocene Project	India
The Failing Farmer	Tunisia
The Hummingbird Foundation	Kenya
The Sixth Element School	India
The Utopian Seed Project	USA
Tierra Fertil	Colombia
Tinto to go	Colombia
Tlalixpan, sobre la faz de la tierra	México
Unillanos	Colombia
Unión de Organizaciones de la Sierra Juárez Oaxaca	México
Union Démocratique de l’Agriculture	Maroc
Unión de Organizaciones de la Sierra Juárez Oaxaca	México
Unión nacional de organizaciones regionales campesinas autónomas (UNORCA)	Mexico
Union Régionale des Associations Paysannes de DIOURBEL URAPD	Senegal
Uruguay Soberano	Uruguay
Waia Reserva Sagrada	Colombia
We Are the Solution	Senegal
West africa sea turtles conservation network	Côte d’Ivoire
WFDFFM	Indonesia
Wild Webcap	Australia
Women’s Alliance MN	United States
WMW/ATPA	Tunisie
xermoladas	Spain
Youth talk	RDC
Yuva Kaushal Vikas Mandal	India
Zambian Alliance for Agroecology and Biodiversity	Zambia

Source: GRAIN

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

EACOP: Another community of 80 households has lost its land to the government and Total Energies to construct an oil pipeline.

Published

2 days ago

October 3, 2024

witnessradio.org

By Witness Radio team.

In a glaring display of injustice, the Masaka High Court ruled against 80 Project-Affected Persons (PAPs) from the Lwengo, Kyotera, and Rakai districts on October 1, 2024. The court allowed the government to deposit the compensation in Court accounts, delivering yet another blow to the marginalized communities of Uganda.

Low-income families, smallholder farmers, and landowners who derive their livelihoods from grabbed land are the latest victims of the government’s aggressive push for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project.

Last year, the Hoima High Court set a precedent and directed the government to deposit money (compensation) for the 42 households on the court’s accounts. The Project Affected Persons (PAPs) refused the money, saying that it was very little compared to the size of their land.

Article 26 of the 1995 Constitution guarantees the right to property and the right to fair and adequate compensation in cases of compulsory acquisition.

Many low-income families in the southern region of Uganda have made the same argument, rejecting compensation because it is inadequate. Others are embroiled in land disputes, the rightful owners have not been identified, and some households lack land titles. Yet, despite these glaring issues, the government is bulldozing its way through these legal and moral quagmires to serve the interests of foreign oil companies.

The High Court on Monday, October 1st, 2024, granted vacant possession of the affected people’s land so that it may be used for the EACOP project activities. Eviction and demolition orders against the affected people and the applicant were discharged from any liabilities arising out of any claim and/or order arising out of the orders being sought by the government.

The court also ruled that the rejected compensation should be deposited into the account of the Registrar of the High Court.

This ruling attack not only 80 individuals but also the citizens of Uganda, whose lives and livelihoods are rooted in the land they have legally occupied and cultivated for generations.

Witness Radio is concerned that the government is continuously weaponizing our legal system to facilitate corporate land grabs under the guise of national interest. “Such actions are weakening the Judiciary further as citizens continue to lose trust in it,” said Witness Radio legal team.

The EACOP is a planned 1,443km pipeline to be constructed from Western Uganda to the port of Tanga in Tanzania. The pipeline is expected to transport crude oil from Uganda’s Tilenga and Kingfisher oil fields to export markets.

Key shareholders in this venture, Total Energies, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), and the governments of Uganda and Tanzania, are expected to reap the project’s benefits. In contrast, the communities that would be the project beneficiaries are left with nothing but broken promises.

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

European banks risk legal onslaught, reputational damage by backing controversial EACOP project

Published

5 days ago

October 1, 2024

witnessradio.org

StopEACOP coalition warns of imminent litigation and formal complaints against seven unnamed European banks considering financing the destructive and controversial pipeline

The StopEACOP coalition warned today that seven European banks will be walking into a minefield of litigation, formal complaints, and severe reputational damage, if they go ahead with their reported promise to finance the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) which to many is highly controversial.

Earlier this month, Ugandan media reported that two Chinese and seven European banks “have promised to finance” the damaging pipeline project, which has been seeking a US $3 billion project finance loan from commercial banks since as early as 2017. This followed a report the previous month claiming that nine European banks would finance the project. In that report, Uganda’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa, was quoted as saying that finance from European banks “was a requirement from China that let this project not be seen as Chinese banks only.” The project has not yet reached financial close, meaning the loan has not yet been agreed, and insurance for the project is not yet in place.

Zaki Mamdoo, StopEACOP Campaign Coordinator, said: “If it is true that seven European banks have promised to finance the EACOP, they should know that we will use all avenues available, including all legal avenues, to hold them accountable. This project is already mired in well-documented human rights abuses, and any bank stepping in to support it at this stage will be complicit in these.”

Ryan Brightwell, Human Rights Campaign Lead at BankTrack said: “The largest banks in Europe can see EACOP poses immense risks, and have said they will steer clear. If seven European banks have really agreed to finance the project, they should know they will face a huge reputational hit, as well as likely official complaints and legal challenges. They should not allow themselves to be used to greenwash a project which Chinese financiers find too controversial to shoulder alone.”

Diana Nabiruma of Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) said, “News that any financial institution, European or Chinese, is interested in supporting the EACOP, is surprising. The project’s proponents have shown such a disregard for the wellbeing of the affected people so much so that in August, they sued 80 people including the terminally ill, the elderly and others, so that their land could be forcefully taken for the project. Reports on the impact that oil activities are having on Murchison Falls National Park also paint a dire picture. No responsible bank should finance the destruction of people and nature.”

The $5 billion EACOP project, spearheaded by TotalEnergies, aims to transport crude oil from Uganda’s oil fields to a terminal in Tanga, Tanzania. On September 6th, 2024, 20 anti-EACOP activists and some of the project-affected people were released after spending nearly a week in prison for protesting against the controversial pipeline. Just a month earlier, police had arrested 50 people, including 47 students, who were preparing to voice opposition to EACOP.

Environmental and human rights groups have persistently highlighted the potential hazards of the controversial EACOP, including severe impacts on wildlife habitats, the displacement of communities, and the exacerbation of climate change through increased greenhouse gas emissions. Many field investigation reports, including a recent Human Rights Watch report, have also documented and denounced the inadequate compensation and significant disruption experienced by residents displaced by the pipeline’s construction.

At least 27 banks have already refused to join the project finance loan for EACOP, including Japan’s SMBC, formerly an advisor on the loan, and the UK’s Standard Chartered, which spent over a year undertaking due diligence on supporting it. In addition, 29 major (re)insurers have ruled out support for the pipeline.

European banks that are not listed on the StopEACOP Bank Checklist as having ruled out support for the project are urged to make contact with the coalition to make their position clear.

Original Source: Banktrack

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

Carbon offset projects exacerbate land grabbing and undermine small farmers’ independence – GRAIN report

Published

6 days ago

September 30, 2024

witnessradio.org

By Witness Radio Team.

A new GRAIN research has revealed that carbon offset projects, often involving large-scale tree and other crop planting, contribute to a new wave of land grabbing in the Global South. The findings suggest that these projects, driven by corporate interests and international environmental agreements, are displacing thousands of communities and threatening small-scale farmers’ independence.

A report titled “From Land Grabbers to Carbon Cowboys: A New Scramble for Community Lands Takes Off,” released by GRAIN, an international non-profit organization supporting small farmers and social movements, highlights the scale of this growing problem. Since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016, the report identified 279 large-scale tree and crop-planting projects covering over 9 million hectares of land across the Global South, equivalent to Portugal’s size.

The projects are registered under major voluntary offset programs, including the American Carbon Registry (ACR), Climate Action Reserve (CAR), Gold Standard (GS), Verra (VCS), BioCarbono (BC), Cercarbono (CV), and Plan Vivo (PV).

The report claims that Africa has been the most affected region, with over 5.2 million hectares of the 9 million allocated to carbon offset projects. According to the report, this has led to a new form of “carbon colonialism,” with corporations and NGOs from the Global North using the lands of indigenous communities for their own economic and environmental agendas.

“There is a clear colonial dynamic at work,” the report reads. “Companies and big NGOs from the North are once again exploiting the lands of communities in the Global South for their benefit. For instance, much of the vast eucalyptus plantations managed by Brazilian paper giant Suzano, which is involved in three large-scale carbon plantation projects, have been taken from Brazil’s indigenous and traditional peoples.”

This new wave of land grabbing is compared to the 2007–2008 global land rush when hundreds of communities were displaced to make way for large-scale industrial farms. These same global giants are back, but with a different mission: securing land for carbon plantations.

Devlin Kuyek, a researcher with GRAIN, points out the deception at the heart of these projects. “Companies often persuade farmers to sign contracts that require them to plant and maintain trees on portions of their land. However, within a few years, these trees overtake significant areas of farmland that would otherwise be used for food production, causing devastating impacts on local food security and access to land.”

Since the 2016 Paris Agreement, carbon offset projects, primarily involving tree plantations, have led to increasing conflicts over land use and displacement of communities. The push for carbon credits through tree planting has also triggered what activists and researchers call “carbon colonialism.”

For years, activists and scientists have warned that carbon offset schemes, mainly through tree planting, would lead to surges in land grabbing, especially in the Global South. “These warnings are now proving true,” says GRAIN researcher Ange-David Baïmey.

The report‘s primary concern is the shift from communal land management to privatized land contracts. Large-scale plantations—often growing eucalyptus and acacia, species known for their environmental impacts—displace traditional land uses, disrupt ecosystems, and restrict local communities’ access to their lands. Farmers who participate in these schemes are frequently misled, receiving far less compensation for their involvement than initially promised. Payments for carbon credits often fall short of covering the farmers’ losses, leaving them in a risky position.

Under these contracts, farmers must provide proof of land ownership, which then transfers the rights to the carbon sequestered in the trees and soil to the project backers. While these deals may not forcibly displace farmers, they represent a form of control over the land that undermines farmers’ autonomy and limits their ability to use their land as they see fit.

Uganda has also become entangled in this new form of land grab. For example, the Swedish hamburger chain Max Burgers has been buying carbon credits from a project called Trees for Global Benefits, which was managed by the Ugandan organization Ecotrust in 2003. While the project claims to avoid displacing farmers by encouraging them to plant trees on their lands, the report reveals troubling realities. Participating farmers sign contracts requiring them to grow and maintain trees, receive seedlings, some training, and periodic monitoring in return for payments from the carbon credits sold to Max Burgers to offset their carbon footprint.

However, this arrangement has come at a cost. The report notes that this scheme has accelerated food insecurity and poverty among local farmers. An investigation by Swedish journalist Staffan Lindberg in Aftonbladet in May 2024 revealed that some farmers who planted trees for Max Burgers’ carbon credits have resorted to cutting them down for charcoal production, driven by hunger. The trees, initially planted on their farmland, have left them with little room to grow food.

Samuel Byarugaba, a farmer quoted in the report, shares his experience: “I used to be something called a model farmer. People came to me to learn about farming, and I was proud to show off our farm. We had enough food to feed ourselves and could sell the surplus. Now, it’s all gone.”

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK2 weeks ago

Industrial plantations: stop endangering local farmers, Indigenous knowledge, and food system models – land-grab victims

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK2 days ago

EACOP: Another community of 80 households has lost its land to the government and Total Energies to construct an oil pipeline.

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK6 days ago

Carbon offset projects exacerbate land grabbing and undermine small farmers’ independence – GRAIN report

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK5 days ago

European banks risk legal onslaught, reputational damage by backing controversial EACOP project

Witness Radio

A call for civil disobedience against the privatisation of peasant seeds

Witness Radio Live

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

A call for civil disobedience against the privatisation of peasant seeds

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

EACOP: Another community of 80 households has lost its land to the government and Total Energies to construct an oil pipeline.

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

European banks risk legal onslaught, reputational damage by backing controversial EACOP project

MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

Carbon offset projects exacerbate land grabbing and undermine small farmers’ independence – GRAIN report

EACOP: Another community of 80 households has lost its land to the government and Total Energies to construct an oil pipeline.

European banks risk legal onslaught, reputational damage by backing controversial EACOP project

Carbon offset projects exacerbate land grabbing and undermine small farmers’ independence – GRAIN report

Industrial plantations: stop endangering local farmers, Indigenous knowledge, and food system models – land-grab victims

Industrial plantations: stop endangering local farmers, Indigenous knowledge, and food system models – land-grab victims

EACOP: Another community of 80 households has lost its land to the government and Total Energies to construct an oil pipeline.

AGRA’s Silent Takeover: The Hidden Impact on Africa’s Agricultural Policies.

Uganda: Land-grab victim communities will join counterparts in commemorating the 2024 International Day of Struggle Against Industrial Plantations.

Innovative Finance from Canada projects positive impact on local communities.

Over 5000 Indigenous Communities evicted in Kiryandongo District

Petition To Land Inquiry Commission Over Human Rights In Kiryandongo District

Invisible victims of Uganda Land Grabs

Resource Center

Legal Framework

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A call for civil disobedience against the privatisation of peasant seeds

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EACOP: Another community of 80 households has lost its land to the government and Total Energies to construct an oil pipeline.

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EACOP: Another community of 80 households has lost its land to the government and Total Energies to construct an oil pipeline.

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Carbon offset projects exacerbate land grabbing and undermine small farmers’ independence – GRAIN report

Industrial plantations: stop endangering local farmers, Indigenous knowledge, and food system models – land-grab victims

Industrial plantations: stop endangering local farmers, Indigenous knowledge, and food system models – land-grab victims

EACOP: Another community of 80 households has lost its land to the government and Total Energies to construct an oil pipeline.

AGRA’s Silent Takeover: The Hidden Impact on Africa’s Agricultural Policies.

Uganda: Land-grab victim communities will join counterparts in commemorating the 2024 International Day of Struggle Against Industrial Plantations.

Innovative Finance from Canada projects positive impact on local communities.

Over 5000 Indigenous Communities evicted in Kiryandongo District

Petition To Land Inquiry Commission Over Human Rights In Kiryandongo District

Invisible victims of Uganda Land Grabs

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