Millions of small-scale farmers and food producers including indigenous communities in poor countries have limited access to land and resources because the land is monopolised and controlled by landlords and big corporations.

This lack of genuine land reform and neo-liberal restructuring in agricultural practices perpetuate rural poverty and hunger. It is ironic that those who suffer severe hunger are those who directly produce food. Land grabbing and resource grabbing are strife.

or instance, foreign companies are buying or leasing agricultural land in developing countries for industrial food and biofuel production. Local elites in business and politics play a central role in facilitating these deals.

Rural women are among the most affected. They experience increased poverty and hunger as a result of land and resource grabbing. Without land to till or agriculture to depend on, they have no food or income for their families.

Communities are now fighting back despite the harsh repercussions by the State and private security forces. Human rights atrocities become the norm in militarized rural areas where conflicts arise from land and resource grabbing.

Through coordinated action and relentless work by PAN Asia Pacific (PANAP) partners, we have successfully stopped or delayed as well as exposed land and resource grabbing in local communities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

But land and resource grabbers remain determined to take away what rightfully belong to the people. We need to continue our struggle and we hope more will join us in our fight to defend land, resources and human rights.

“No Land, No Life!” is a campaign by PANAP and its partners and networks to expose and oppose the continuing and various forms of land and resource grabbing in the region. Our campaign seeks to initiative aims to highlight and stop land and resource grabbing as a gross violation of the human rights of the people.

Our campaign aims to: