PAN Asia Pacific (PANAP) and its partners today launched the annual 16 Days of Global Action on Agroecology, which will take place from 1 to 16 October. The theme for this year is Communities Overcoming Crisis, which highlights how rural communities are using agroecology to confront the worsening global food crisis.
A growing number of rural communities are breaking free from the chains of unsustainable and ecologically destructive food systems dominated by agrochemical TNCs. Farmers are transitioning to agroecological techniques as experience and research show that they are more productive, resilient to climate change, sustainable, and cost-effective.
“Agroecology can actually be a form of resistance by the communities against the big monopolies that plunder our food and agriculture for profits and destroy the planet. By choosing agroecology over the chemical-intensive and fossil fuel-heavy farming that TNCs promote, rural peoples are making a conscious and collective decision to resist the corporations and transform our food systems,” said Sarojeni Rengam, PANAP executive director.
Now in its 8th year, the 16 Days campaign consists of several community-initiated awareness-raising activities to expand agroecology, including rallies, discussion forums, cultural events, seed exchanges, food festivals, farmer learning exchanges, and policy advocacy. The campaign culminates on Rural Women’s Day (15 October) and World Hunger Day (16 October).
Some activities that PANAP’s partner organisations will engage in include dialogues (with senior citizen farmers), cultural solidarity events, human chain activities, forums, rural women’s awards for agroecology, and food fairs, among numerous others.
The 16 Days campaign provides a platform for people’s movements and communities to highlight their agroecology initiatives and build solidarity among peasants, women, youth, agricultural workers, fisherfolk, and indigenous peoples..
For more information on the campaign and how to participate, click here.
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