All Nepal Peasants Federation seek assurance of people’s right to food sovereignty

KATHMANDU: All Nepal Peasants Federation has demanded to ensure the people’s right to food sovereignty. Various programs were organized from October 8 to 16, 2021 on the occasion of World Food Day highlighting the 25 years of birth of the Food Sovereignty Movement with the slogan of Food Sovereignty Now!

Issuing a statement by Pramesh Pokharel, chief of Press and Publication Department, on the occasion of world food day, he informed that Public Rally, Interaction Program, training on Food Sovereignty and dissemination of information are few activities organized during the week-long campaign. ANPF demanded the government to immediately rectify the recent reforms taken by the previous government against the people’s right to food sovereignty.

ANPF in the statement states that the foreign direct investment in primary production, land bank program, contract farming, and other reforms are against the constitutional provision, Right to Food and Food Sovereignty law and Agriculture Development Strategy (2015-2035). According to the federation, “The government led by KP Sharma Oli, former Prime Minister was putting all his efforts to destroy all the achievements of peasants movement of Nepal for the last many decades. Oli government was the advocate of neo-liberal corporate farming in collusion with the imperialists’ forces against the aspirations of the farmers.

All Nepal Peasants Federation highlighted that Nepali farmers, who have already been facing various problems and challenges, have been furthermore, affected by the Corona pandemic, climate crisis, and neo-liberal policies.

A public rally was organized on October 8, 2021, to demand the implementation of food sovereignty. Participants were in the streets with the slogan of Food Sovereignty Now! Climate Justice Now! Agroecology for Food Sovereignty! Peasants Agriculture Cools the Planet! Etc Similarly an interaction program was organized followed by a rally to discuss the need to implement food sovereignty to address the problems faced by Nepalese peasants. Similarly, the statement also informs that, to gain public support for the implementation of food sovereignty, ANPFa leaders published articles and used mass media and social media during the whole week.

Pokharel also shared that various organizations around the world are organized similar activities from 8 to 16 October to celebrate the 25 years of food sovereignty and demand implementation of food sovereignty to transform our lives and as a fight against corporate Capitalism and Imperialism. He also shared that the All Nepal Peasants Federation is a member of La Via Campesina and the International People’s Assembly.