Quezon City, Philippines – Indigenous leaders and representatives from different churches affirmed their unity in upholding indigenous peoples’ rights and promoting traditional knowledge as a means to address food insecurity among indigenous peoples’ communities.

In a dialogue between indigenous peoples and church leaders, indigenous leaders from the Cordillera, Central and Southern Luzon and Mindanao imparted to the church leaders the actual conditions of their communities. This posed a challenge to the churches to respond to the issues confronting indigenous peoples as part of their mission.

Aside from the rampant mining activities in ancestral domains aggressively promoted by the government and the inexorable militarization that accompanies development aggression, other issues were also highlighted during the discussion. Among these are the incursion of genetically modified crops and biofuel plantations in indigenous territories that caused the erosion of traditional agricultural knowledge and practices; the lack of recognition of traditional knowledge and customary laws, with the undermining of such as unscientific and mere superstitious beliefs; and the worsening peace situation in Mindanao.

Strongly linked to these are the conflicting laws in the country that hinder indigenous peoples from fully practicing their rights over their lands and self-determined development. All these contributed to the worsening food insecurity among indigenous communities - an irony considering that indigenous peoples have survived through time with the use of their indigenous knowledge system and practices which are truly sustainable.

       Central to the issues confronting indigenous peoples is their continuing struggle for their right to ancestral domain, which is the basis of indigenous identity, life and culture. Once more, the indigenous leaders reiterated the importance of IP control over their ancestral lands and resources.

The Continuing Struggle for the Right to Land, Life and Resources

          Carling Domulot of LAKAS, an association of Aetas in Botolan, Zambales, expressed, “Historically, IP groups have harmonious relationship because of the belief that men do not own the land. Natural calamities used to be the only cause of food insecurity among IPs. Now, it is because of man’s greed that IPs are not given the chance to develop their ancestral land.” To this, Danny Salonga, another Aeta leader of Limay Bataan, added, “Our practice of hunting and gathering sustained us for a very long time. But with government policies, especially of DENR, which prohibit us from going to protected areas, we are forced to plant in the lowlands. We can not even use the law to secure land tenure, because even the laws are conflicting.”

          Other indigenous leaders who shared their communities’ experiences were Lakay Jaime Tigan-o Dugao of Sagada, Mountain Province; Tony Calbayog, a Mangyan leader from Oriental Mindoro; Ronaldo Ambangan, an Erumanen ne Menuvu of Cotabato; and Norma Capuyan, an indigenous woman leader of BAI, a network of indigenous women’s organizations in the country.

Church Response

          The challenges posed by the indigenous leaders were welcomed by church leaders with vows to truly champion the cause of indigenous peoples. Bishop Manguiran of the Diocese of Dipolog, who has been promoting traditional knowledge on farming, renewed his commitment to work with indigenous peoples in their fight against mining and agrochemical corporations that destroy their ancestral domains and erode their traditional knowledge. He explained through the different images of “David and Goliath”, “the dolphin and the shark” and “the eagle and the maya”, how the indigenous peoples’ communities can overcome their “enemies”; and that the church is one with the indigenous peoples in achieving their victory.

          Rev. Rex RB Reyes, the secretary general of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines stated that the problems being encountered, not just in indigenous peoples’ communities but in the whole country, is a crisis caused by greed for profit and desire for power. He added that capitalism is the root of the problems. As a community, we can counter these attitudes through the value of sharing and collective action as a community.

Declaration of Solidarity

          To further affirm the unity of indigenous peoples and church leaders, they agreed on a Declaration of Solidarity which calls for the following:

     1) Implement national and other international instruments that recognize and uphold the rights of indigenous peoples.

     2) Formulate policy that genuinely recognizes the right to ancestral lands and indigenous tenurial systems.

     3) Formulate policy recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples over their traditional knowledge and biodiversity, recognizing customary laws and spiritual beliefs for sharing, conservation and protection.

     4) Propose to stop the planting and field testing of genetically modified crops and biofuels in the Philippines, especially in indigenous peoples’ territories.

     5) Immediately scrap the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and enact an alternative peoples’ mining policy that respects the rights of indigenous peoples and protects patrimony.

     6) For government to put an end to militarization and all human rights violations committed against indigenous peoples.

     7) On the peace situation in Mindanao:

          a) Call for the cessation of armed hostilities in Mindanao which directly inflict harm on indigenous peoples.

          b) Appeal to the GRP and MILF peace panel to resume peace talks.

          c) Petition that any decision or action to be made in relation to the peace talks should be passed through free and meaningful consultations with the Lumad people who are, in one way or the other, affected by the issue.

          The dialogue, which was organized by the EED-Task Force on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, was aptly called “Tongtongan”, an indigenous form of communication among Cordillerans that literally means discussion or meeting. It was held on the 14^th of November, 2008 at the UP Balay Kalinaw. Participants from various Catholic and Protestant religious groups, non-governmental organizations, students from the Saint Andrew’s Theological Seminary and representatives from the Evanglischer Entwicklungsdients e.V. (Church Development Service of Germany), headed by Dr. Karl Schönberg, took part and contributed greatly to the successful forging of unity between indigenous peoples and church leaders. 

PRESS RELEASE
7 October 2008

Groups across Asia call for 16 October as World Foodless Day

Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP), People’s Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS) and other civil society organizations, are initiating a call to observe October 16, 2008, World Food Day as the World Foodless Day. Various groups from Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Korea, Japan, China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mongolia, Hongkong, Indonesia, Philippines, Uganda and Kenya have expressed their intention to participate in this event, assert people’s food sovereignty and commit to a Day of Global Action with simultaneous events, protest actions and activities.

“World Foodless Day is about reality - the reality among majority of people who go hungry everyday. While governments and intergovernmental organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will talk about the World Food Day and how everyone is working to bring food to the table, the reality is that there are more hungry people today than ever before - over 150 billion,” says Antonio Tujan, co-chair of PCFS. He adds, “The irony is that many of the policies being promoted under neo-liberal globalization such as Green Revolution for Africa or the so-called Gene Revolution will only result in more hunger as has been proven in past experiences in Asia.”

“The impact of these policies on peasants, agricultural workers, women, small food producers and the poor was tremendous including displacement of rural communities, increased loss of livelihoods, and escalating hunger and poverty. Overall, these policies and their impact were the recipe for the current food crisis,” says Sarojeni V. Rengam, Executive Director of PAN AP and adds, “The occasion of World Food Day on October 16 is an opportune time to send a strong message to highlight people’s strategies to address the food crisis.”

The objectives of the World Foodless Day include: create public awareness on the root causes of the food crisis; provide policy recommendations and organize meetings with government officials, opinion makers and leaders; conduct activities to raise people’s voices against neo-liberal policies and their impact; and make people’s recommendations on responses to the world food crisis.

According to Dr. Ujjaini Halim of IMSE (India), a member organisation of the Asian Peasants Coalition, there are three major issues that need to be highlighted during the World Foodless Day: 1) Right to Land as a part of Right to Food. This cannot be compromised for corporate profits. Land alienation of poor must be stopped; 2) States must comply with their Right to Food obligations and implement genuine reforms in agriculture, fishery, forestry and other sectors; 3) Peoples movements for Right to Food must include a focus on the role of women.

PAN AP has published a special handbook for the occasion - “The Politics of Hunger: When Policies and Markets Fail the Poor”, which focuses on the impact of the crisis and its real solutions. It will also distribute a Special Release on the “Global Food Crisis: Hype and Reality” detailing the root causes of the crisis.

Besides the events and activities in Asia and Africa, in New York (USA), Pesticide Action Network of North America is co-sponsoring an event to launch an urgent “Call to Action to end the Food Crisis” where invited speakers will be talking about the causes and solutions to the crisis. The call will send a strong message to the US presidential candidates and current political leaders that they need to step up to the plate to end the food crisis.

PAN AP calls on everyone to participate in observing October 16, 2008 as World Foodless Day, and join its various activities across Asia. Please check http://www.panap.net/wfd for details.
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Contact: Clara Guzman
PAN Asia and the Pacific
P.O. Box 1170, 10850, Penang, Malaysia
Contact Number: +604 657 0271 or +604 656 0381
Email: panap@panap.net

Pesticide Action Network (PAN) is a global network working to eliminate the human and environmental harm caused by pesticides and to promote biodiversity based ecological agriculture. PAN Asia and the Pacific is committed to the empowerment of people especially women, agricultural workers, peasants and indigenous farmers. We are dedicated to protect the safety and health of people, and the environment from pesticide use and genetic engineering. We believe in a people-centered, pro-women development through food sovereignty, ecological agriculture and sustainable lifestyles.

Date: 14 October 2008 
 

TO: The UN Task Force on Food Crisis

Including FAO, IFAD, OHRLLS, UNDP, UNEP, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, IMF, World Bank, WTO, Departments of Economic and Social Affairs, Political Affairs, Public Information, Peacekeeping Operations, The Special Adviser on Millennium Development Goals and OECD 
 

OPEN LETTER REGARDING THE WORLD FOODLESS DAY 
 

Dear Members of the Task Force,  

On 16 October 2008, the UN, its associated bodies and many governments worldwide will observe the “World Food Day” to draw people’s attention to the problem of hunger and food security. The event is on its 28^th year but instead of celebrating the gains from established policies, plans and actions, we are faced today with a ballooning world food crisis. 

Hunger and malnutrition have been increasing as a consequence of food unavailability and price hikes. “Food riots” are happening in underdeveloped countries where workers and peasants have become less and less able to afford food. Basic human rights and privileges are being curtailed. 

The UN High Level Task Force on Food Crisis came up with its Comprehensive Framework for Action (CFA) in July 2008. The action plan recommended a series of immediate and long-term measures to address the food crisis. We applaud the intention of the Task Force in seeking to promote a “unified response”, prioritized action and coordinated implementation of the plan through giving due and greater attention to agriculture in public policies, strengthening social security systems and increasing public spending and investment on agricultural and rural development especially to smallholder farmers.  

However, we are concerned on some of the issues in the CFA. While it agrees that the food crisis and soaring food prices “stem from the cumulative effects of long-term trends”, it does nothing to review these trends and, as a result, ends up recommending and initiating their replication. The CFA focuses a great deal on linking smallholder farmers to the market, without dwelling on the fact that in the current inequitable market scenario, the smallholder farmers do not reap the benefits from any increase in farmers’ production and higher prices but it is only the corporations which immensely profit from it. There are no adequate recommendations to restructure the market.  

The CFA’s overarching stress on trade liberalization in agriculture, particularly when it states that the Task Force “will encourage nations to immediately reduce or eliminate restriction in imports, exports and movement of fertilizers…”, will only give way to further corporate control over agriculture. We are equally concerned about the CFA’s recommendation on seeking a rapid completion of the Doha round of trade negotiations under the WTO. These talks have been stalled on the issue of high subsidies to agriculture by the US and the EU. The inability of the UN and other international bodies to break down the obstinacy of the bigger powers on this issue, is a sore point.  

In not including the smallholder farmers and their representatives in the development of the CFA, the Task Force does not draw on their valuable inputs based on their inherent knowledge, experience and abilities, and tends to treat them as mere recipients of its recommendations on a crisis that besets them the most. 

These and other concerns in the CFA lead us to believe that it will remain largely ineffective and actually strengthen the power structures, approaches and practices which have over time resulted in systematically undermining the agriculture systems and infrastructures of the people worldwide, degraded the environment, denuded agro-biodiversity, invalidated small scale farming, diverted landuse to produce cash crops, agrofuel or other international commodities, destroyed the self-sufficiency of the small farmers and marginalized them, and led to forced eviction of the people from their land, including prevention of their access to livelihood resources.

Indeed, in response to the food crisis, seeds, fertilizers and other basic inputs are already being supplied to the small farmers in critical countries under the FAO’s Initiative on Soaring Food Prices, as well as by the World Bank and other international agencies. We are concerned about any such supply in times of crisis without proper control and investigation, as it only opens an easy backdoor for the TNCs to introduce their hybrid seeds and products in the region.  

We, the signatories of this letter, belonging to organizations and institutions representing farmers, agricultural labour, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, urban workers and poor, call for comprehensive measures that strike at the roots of these problems, and stipulate the following: 

• Recognize people’s basic Right to Food, by providing adequate, affordable and safe food for all. Food is a biological need and necessary for survival and hence a basic right. But there are more people today suffering from hunger and malnutrition - over 3 billion – than ever before.
• Promote and support bio-diversity based ecological food production and community-based seed and grain storage systems.  These systems offer higher productivity and income to help improve and create rural livelihood by spurring diverse economic activities. However, these systems need strong institutional support in terms of integrated financial, technical and marketing and other support systems. Local consumption and local markets should be given priority.
• Develop local food markets, and strengthen public procurement, distribution and stocking systems for food. Increasing control of corporations over food distribution, have broken down local food market systems, made people’s accessibility to adequate and safe food extremely vulnerable even in normal times, and increased its cost through transportation over long distances.
• Ensure that food production and consumption are more equitable and beneficial for women and girls. Women’s labour, knowledge and hard work feed their families and communities, but they face extreme discrimination. The destruction of local food production, procurement, storage and consumption systems, have led to further inequities for the women and girls in the society. Women must be integrated into the agricultural and rural environment agenda and programmes for equal rights and equitable share of resources.
• Stop indiscriminate agricultural landuse change from food crops to agrofuels and other global commodities. The industrialization and corporatization of development in general and agriculture in particular, have encouraged large scale landuse changes and diverted fertile land away from producing food for the people to the production of agrofuels and other global commodities, or converted for large-scale recreational centres and special economic zones thereby worsening people’s food systems and the climate.
• Take WTO out of agriculture. It is apparent that the agriculture trade agreement platform of the WTO has been a major culprit in taking agriculture out of people’s control and giving it to the corporations. Its talks have also miserably failed. The food crisis is being taken as an opportunity to revive the failed talks and its ruinous implementations.
• Control speculative trading and stop futures contract trading. Agriculture is an issue of life, culture and livelihood, not trade. Seeds and crops are food, not commodities. Land is a resource for local food production, not for global speculation and grabbing.
• Implement genuine agrarian, fisheries, forestry and pastureland reforms. Global food crisis cannot be addressed by repeating the policies, practices and mistakes of the last fifty years, but through true reforms encompassing agriculture, land and water resources and rural development.
• Realise People’s Food Sovereignty as the framework for food production and distribution, and for national and international trade and investment policies. The solution to what appears to be a permanent food crisis lies in the people being in control of agriculture, their productive livelihood resources and distributive practices.

We therefore declare 16^th October 2008 as WORLD FOODLESS DAY – a Global Day of Action to commemorate the people’s struggle for food sovereignty, and our unending resolve to battle the world food crisis.  

We hope that you will take from this food crisis, a clear view of the food and agriculture related distortions, unfairness and unsustainability in the world. We also hope that this crisis will lead to genuine and closer participation, consultation and involvement of the small farmers’ representatives in dialogues and policy determination to pave way for solutions that rest on the foundations of People’s Food Sovereignty and which will benefit the small-farmers and the poor of the world.