The Day of the Landless

A declaration endorsed by 126 international and national organizations from 24 countries, including the Asian Peasant Coalition, Food Sovereignty in Action Europe, GRAIN, and Arab Group for the Protection of Nature, as well as the Farmworker Association of Florida and Zambia Social Forum, 
declared Friday to be "Day of the Landless." They marked the occasion with a statement denouncing the plunder of the planet's natural resources and reaffirming marginalized rural communities' claims to land and food sovereignty. 

In their zeal to pursue profits by snatching up ever more land for destructive plantations and mining operations, governments and corporate entities are carrying out "human rights atrocities" against small farmer advocates, the groups noted, referencing a catalog of documented killings, assaults, and threats. 
"We see how massive infrastructure projects and agricultural 'development' programs, many funded through onerous foreign debt and investments, displace rural peoples from their lands, livelihoods, and cultures—all in the name of imperialist domination and plunder, local elite rule, and private profits," the groups wrote. "The neoliberal restructuring of agriculture," added the coalition, has contributed to a situation in which the vast majority of the world’s agricultural land is in the hands of a wealthy few—despite the fact the vast majority of farms are held by small holders. It is these small farmers "who actually till and enrich the lands for generations."

We mark the Day of the Landless to let the world recognize our legitimate demands for land to the tiller and genuine agrarian reform; for food sovereignty; and for people's rights and democracy," they stated."Today," they concluded, "we reaffirm our commitment to reclaim our lands and our future from the powerful forces that took them away."

The new statement coincides with the kickoff the "No Land, No Life!" campaign.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/03/29/commitment-reclaim-our-lands-and-our-future-100-groups-mark-day-landless