Via Campesina Holds International Conference in Basque Country

Some 450 campesino movements from around the world have converged on the city of Derio, Basque Country to participate in the seventh Via Campesina International Conference.

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The conference is aimed at formulating measures to address the onslaught of capitalism and constructing alternative strategies grounded on the basic principle of food sovereignty.

“We are those who work the land and feed the world, however, our territories are under constant attack,” said Elizabeth Mpofu, Via Campesina's General Coordinator and a farmer from Zimbabwe.

Issues that will be addressed at the event include food sovereignty, immigrant rights, climate justice, criminalization of social movements, the need to create broad alliances, and agroecology for small, family farmers.

From these discussions, the organization hopes to define new strategies and action plans that can be implemented over the next four years.

In conjunction with the conference, campesinos from Bilbao will march in solidarity with campesinos who are defending their land against big agribusiness projects on Sunday.

The seventh Via Campesina International Conference will run until Monday, July 24.

Via Campesino is comprised of around 200 organization and is currently the largest campesino movement in the world.