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*Media Advisory*

*La Via Campesina at the World Social Forum in Dakar:*

*Stop land grabbing, defend food sovereignty and say no to violence against
women farmers!*

(Jakarta, January 28, 2011) The international peasant's movement La Via
Campesina will join the
World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal from February 6 to 11. More than 70
farmers’ representatives from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas will
take part in this forum, a place where social movements and civil
organizations are going to debate alternatives for a better world, pursuing
their thinking, formulating proposals and sharing their experiences.

At a time of rising food prices and upcoming food crisis, La Via Campesina
will defend Food Sovereignty as the solution to the food and climate crises.


 La Via Campesina will join the caravan organised by the social movements
from Lomé (Togo) to Dakar (Senegal). The Caravan will depart on 23 January
and is expected to arrive in Dakar on 5 January, to participate at the
opening ceremony of the World Social Forum on 6 February.

During the World Social Forum, La Via Campesina will launch its campaign
against violence towards women in Africa.

In the context of the WSF, the international farmers movement will also
showcase African farmers’ food products and seeds at FIARA, a dynamic place
for the integration of African people through local markets and exchange, as
well as debates on issues challenging peasants’ lives in Africa. With its
allies, La Via Campesina will organize a debate at FIARA on “Land grab in
the context of food and climate crises - the need for land policies that
protect peasant production for local markets”. Land grabbing, as an integral
part of the dominant corporate agribusiness model with large-scale
industrial monoculture, is affecting peasants from Africa, Asia and the
Americas.

For the first time, FIARA will also provide spaces for conferences and
debates on food sovereignty.

The farmers' movement, with allies, will organise several debates, such as
“Defending peasant seeds against genetically modified organisms,
transnational companies such as Monsanto and initiatives such as AGRA” and
“Food Sovereignty, violence against women and Climate Change”. It will also
be actively involved in the debate on the preparation of the Social
Movements’ mobilisations for the next UN Climate Conference in Durban, South
Africa, in December 2011.

La Via Campesina will have a stand at the World Social Forum where printed
information can be found. The stand will also be a meeting point with La Via
Campesina's people.

*Appointments with the media:*

   -

   9 February (from 10 to 11 pm) – Via Campesina Press conference "Farmers’
   expectations of the WSF" at LVC stand (venue to be confirmed).

*Other Via Campesina's activities*

   -

   5 February - Participation in a special day on migration island Gorée.
   -

   7 February (9am-12 midday) – Debate: "land grab in the context of food
   and climate crises - the need for land policies that protect peasant
   production for local markets" at FIARA.
   -

   8 February (12.30pm-3.30pm) - Debate: "defending peasant seeds against
   GMOs, transnationals like Monsanto and AGRA" at WSF.
   -

   9 February (12.30pm-3.30pm) - Debate on Food Sovereignty, violence against
   women, and climate Change at WSF
   -

   9 February (4pm-7pm) - Launch in Senegal and Africa of La Via Campesina’s
   campaign to stop violence against women peasants, at WSF.


*Contacts for the media (to interview farmers’ representatives)*

   -

   Mamadou Ba - phone: +221707052485

    -

   Boaventura Monjane – +221773942234 (from 3 February) *
   E-mail: **<boa.monjane@... <boa.monjane@...>*


   - Lamine Coulibaly - téléphone: +221773942235 (from 3 February)

        E-mail: *<laminezie@...> <laminezie@...>*


More on *www.viacampesina.org*

-- 

*La Via Campesina*
Via Campesina is an international movement of peasants, small- and
medium-sized producers, landless, rural women, indigenous people, rural
youth and agricultural workers. We are an autonomous, pluralist and
multicultural movement, independent of any political, economic, or other
type of affiliation. Born in 1993, La Via Campesina now gathers about 150
organisations in 70 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.*

**International Operational Secretariat: **
*Jln. Mampang Prapatan XIV no 5 Jakarta Selatan, Jakarta 12790 Indonesia
Tel/fax: +62-21-7991890/+62-21-7993426
Email: viacampesina@...

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