Several Ugandan civil society organisations have endorsed a petition demanding their government stop promoting GMOs. Read more

Read more … Ugandan Civil Society asks for a Ban on GMOs

On the 14^th of March 2016, AEFJN together with Global Justice Now, Peuples Solidaires-Action Aid France, SOS Faim and CCFD-Terre Solidaire, organized an action to call on the EU to withdraw its support from the New Alliance. The New Alliance is favourable to large businesses and assists these groups in accessing Africa’s land, seeds and markets. These policies threaten the livelihoods of small-scale farmers and food sovereignty of Africans across the continent. The action took place on the day that the Development committee of the European parliament was meeting, in order to scrutinise the New Alliance. Approximately 30 people from the aforementioned organizations and others joined the protest in front of the European Parliament and campaigned through social media.

Read more … Action: Stop EU support of the New Alliance

On the 3rd of June the Leadership Council of the G7 New Alliance holds its annual meeting in South Africa. At the same time civil society organisations across the world raise their concerns on this initiative, because this is a threat to African food sovereignty and family farmers’ control over land and seeds. The exchanges between different civil society organisations at the World Social Forum amounted to a declaration.

Read more … Civil society opposes G7's New Alliance on Food Security and Nutrition

The Secretariat was invited to a town meeting (attendance 50-60) in Koudiadiène where the AEFJN policy officer presented the results of the study and the advocacy efforts both in Europe and Senegal. Afterwards, the town meeting agreed that the organization of advocacy efforts on a local level should be strengthened, especially in voicing their concerns to the local government for which the study provides input. At the meeting villagers from neighbouring villages like, Lamlam, also raised their concerns, stating that they are suffering from the same harmful impacts of phosphate operations in their towns. So, the participants called for a strengthening of solidarity between the villages. Next, the villagers conveyed to the Secretariat that the situation had not improved in the last year. The mango trees and tomato plants had stopped producing and yields from palm trees were down; cattle were dying, poisoned by the dust emitted by the companies.

Read more … Meeting between AEFJN and the villagers of Koudiadiène

The Secretariat participated in the Global Land Forum in Dakar, organized by the International Land Coalition (ILC), an alliance of civil society and intergovernmental agencies consisting of 152 organisations from 56 countries. This year’s conference theme was “Land governance for inclusive development, justice and sustainability: Time for action”. At the end of the conference a common declaration was adopted by the 152 members, regrouping common commitments for Action. During the event AEFJN & CICODEV Africa presented the case study on Koudiadiène. Mr Amadou Kanouté, the Executive Director of CICODEV Africa who carried out the study, gave a presentation on the case study during his speech in the plenary session where several Senegalese government officials were present. At the same time Mr Kanouté called for a moratorium on large scale land acquisitions in Senegal, in order to establish an inclusive land reform.

Read more … Global Land Forum Dakar

In the framework of the campaign ‘Our Land Our Business’, more than 260 civil society organisations have formulated a series of critical questions to the World Bank, mainly related to the Bank’s preference for large-scale agriculture. The questions were asked in the run-up to the Bank’s annual spring meetings.

Read more … Civil Society asks critical questions of the World Bank

Civil society organisations across the globe have voiced their opposition to the World Bank’s Conference on Land & Poverty, because of the Bank’s investment policy and its ‘Doing Business Ranking’ which promotes “business-friendly” reforms ignoring family farmers. In the framework of the campaign “Our Land, Our Business”, AEFJN took part in a public action in Brussels.

Read more … Civil Society Denounces World Bank's Conference on Land & Poverty

On the 11^th of December,  AEFJN organised a conference, “Bridging the gap between policy and practice: international soft law and large scale land acquisitions in Africa” at the European Union Parliament. Mrs Marie Arena, a Member of European Parliament hosted the event.

Read more … Conference: “Bridging the gap between policy and practice: international soft law and large scale land acquisitions in Africa”

On World Food Day, AEFJN took part in a meeting organised by Foodbridge and the Federation of Anglophone Africans in Belgium entitled “Food & Power: The Hunger Games in Sub-Saharan African Politics”. 

Read more … World Food Day Conference: « Food & Power »

As part of an international campaign, NGOs took action on 10^th October against the indicators being developed by the World Bank to classify countries, in particular the “Benchmarking Business for Agriculture”. 

Read more … Our Land - Our Business - International Campaign

During the workshop of the Belgian Land Research Network entitled “Rush to Soil and Subsoil: Sharing Analysis”, Gino Brunswijck, policy officer at AEFJN, spoke about AEFJN and its advocacy strategies for land grabbing and raw materials.

Read more … Conference: “Rush to Soil and Subsoil: Sharing Analysis”

On the occasion of the International Year of Family Farming 2014, the European Commission organized a conference on family farming. This event proved to be a great networking opportunity for AEFJN. The AEFJN Secretariat exchanged views on the importance of family farming and on AEFJN’s upcoming campaign for a moratorium on large scale land acquisitions with farmers’ organisations and civil society from around the world.

Read more … Networking at the EU Family Farming Conference

Voice your indignation about the European Union’s promotion of biofuels! Please write a letter to your national Energy and Environment Ministries who are currently discussing the biofuels policy in the European Council. Click here to find a model letter that you can adapt for your country and, if need be, translate.

Read more … Voice your Indignation about the European Union’s Promotion of Biofuels

AEFJN, as part of a wide civil society coalition, is insisting that the European Parliament scrap the mandates for land-based biofuels.  An open letter to MEPs has been published and personal emails have been sent to MEPs stating our demands. However, the result of the vote in the European Parliament will increase the consumption of agrofuels in the EU.  

Read more … EU Agrofuels Policy: Letters to MEPs

The current Biosafety and Biotechnology Bill 2012 is currently under discussion in the Ugandan Parliament. The Bill is causing controversy since it will facilitate mass introduction of GMOs in Ugandan farming and consequently increase family farmers’ dependency on multinational seed companies. Take action to avoid that this law passes and sign the petition.

Read more … Organic Agriculture: Uganda’s Food Security Lifeline

June 2011 - AEFJN asked to meet Mr Oettinger and Mrs Connie Hedegaard to explain the economical and social impacts of EU Biofuels investments in large scale land in Africa. We also addressed some Members of EU Parliament.

Read more … Letter to EU Comissionners and Deputies

April 17-18, 2011 - International days for action against patents for seed industry and in favor of seeds remaining common heritage.

Read more … "Sowing Future - Harvesting diversity"

March 2011 - We sent a letter to Mr Peibalgs, EU commissionner of Development & cooperation to explain the economic & social impacts of EU Biofuels investments in arge scale land in Africa. We also asked him some requests.

To read the letter (in French) and to read the list of EU biofuels companies and their impacts in africa (English):

Read more … Letter to EU Comissionner DevCo

Church members, religious and representatives of organisations committed to the fight against land-grabbing have drawn up of a declaration for lobbying purposes. Read and use the M'bour Declaration on land grabbing:

Read more … M'bour Declaration on Land Grabbing

The Campaign in favour of the UN declaring the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) has been launched by the World Rural Forum (WRF).

To know more about the objectives, the results, the calendar of activities and to know more on how to give your support:

Read more … International Year of Family Farming

The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA), a global coalition of Christian organizations, porposed this model letter to help people asking to their governement to promote the food security by safeguarding communal/public land.

Read more … Land - EAA Model letter for communal lands

Septembre 21, 2010          AEFJN supports the action launched by Ricardo Petrella through IERPE to draw the attention of the President of the Council of Human Rights United Nations on the failures of the Report of the Independent Expert Catarina de Albuquerque on the right to water and sanitation. He calls for not signing this report in the present version because of two paragraphs that should encourage making water services and management some commodities.

Please also find on IERPE website the movie trailer of "Water makes money" : http://ierpe.eu/

To read the action letter:

Read more … Water - the UN report threatens water as Human right

July 2010     Global consultations on Farmers' Rights: To distribute widely: www.farmersrights.org

Read more … RIGHTS OF FARMERS & SEEDS

2010

Eni Action: Congo Brazzaville - Italy and network AEFJN

The members of AEFJN want to support the initiative of Congolese and to encourage Eni managers to be reliable and credible by the effective execution of its statements and its own “Codice Etico” in which Eni asserts that sustainability and human rights are at the heart of its concerns.

Read more … 2010 ENI Congo - Italy & AEFJN