In July, La Via Campesina reaffirmed its steadfast solidarity with the people of Palestine by joining the Freedom Flotilla’s Handala boat to break the Gaza blockade. Hatem Aouini, a member of Tunisia’s Million Rural Women and Landless Association and La Via Campesina’s representative for the Arab and North Africa region, took part in the peaceful mission to deliver humanitarian aid. However, Israeli forces swiftly and violently intercepted the boat in international waters. Despite this latest act of repression, our movement—and people worldwide—remain unwavering in their commitment to the Palestinian cause.
Our global movement has also been active in organizing training sessions on a range of topics: agroecology and popular peasant feminism in El Salvador, Kenya, Honduras, and Uganda, and UNDROP training in both El Salvador and Mali. Agroecological practice exchanges have also taken place in Sri Lanka. As preparations continue for the upcoming International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD+20), our members—including Brazil’s MST—are mobilizing to push their governments to advance agrarian reform.The protection of peasants’ seeds remain a central focus for us, as highlighted by a recent roundtable in Ecuador and a biodiversity restoration and conservation program in Georgia. Amid ongoing global warming and inflation, our members are taking to the streets around the world—including in Canada, the USA, Korea, and Japan—to denounce the devastating effects of these twin crises on peasant communities.
And now, let’s set off on a little journey across all the continents.
South America:
In Brazil, the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) published an open letter to Brazilian society on Monday, July 21. In it, the movement denounces the stagnation of agrarian reform, criticizes attacks from the right in the National Congress, and calls on President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to honor his historic commitments to structural rural policies.
In Ecuador, at a roundtable organized by the Coordinadora Nacional Campesina Eloy Alfaro and partner organizations, concerns were raised over the potential introduction of genetically modified (GM) seeds, especially for rice. Although Ecuador’s Constitution bans GMOs, discussions are resurfacing. Peasants who produce 98% of the country’s rice, rely on local, adapted seed varieties. The unions warned that GM seeds could displace these, threatening biodiversity and food sovereignty.
Central America
In El Salvador peasant and rural women are strengthening their economic autonomy and productive capacity. Over 30 rural women and farmers have begun training in agroecology and food sovereignty at the Tutalyu Agroecological School. Two modules have been completed so far—one on agroecology, food sovereignty, climate change, and women’s roles in farming; the other on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Rural Workers (UNDROP).
In Honduras, a day of training on peasant and popular feminism was held for women leaders of La Via Campesina Honduras. The sessions deepened understanding of this political framework—developed by rural, Indigenous, and Afro-descendant women—which centers their struggles for land, seeds, food sovereignty, bodily autonomy, territory, and a life free from violence. Recognizing their historical and current struggles in defense of land, seeds, food sovereignty, bodies, territories and the right to a life free from violence, the aim of the day was to promote grassroots organization, resistance and social transformation.
North America
In the United States, the National Family Farm Coalition has denounced the US Administration’s One Big, Beautiful Bill as One Big Bogus Budget. The budget – NFFC notes – slashes $186 billion from SNAP, cutting nearly 20% of its funding and impacting over 22 million families. Combined with Medicaid cuts, this amounts to $1.2 trillion in reduced public benefits, threatening both food access and health care. These cuts also harm small farmers who rely on SNAP spending at local markets. Meanwhile, the budget expands subsidies and insurance schemes that overwhelmingly benefit large agribusinesses, not small-scale food producers. By raising commodity price supports and offering corporate exemptions, it increases public spending for the wealthiest farms while ignoring the needs of small-scale farms.
On June 13, 2025, the National Farmers Union (NFU) sent a letter to key Canadian leaders expressing concern that the federal cabinet’s mandate ignored food and agriculture policy. The NFU urges the government to prioritize food sovereignty, support local markets, and reduce reliance on U.S. imports, especially in light of climate change, trade instability, and a farm income crisis. They call for restoring single-desk marketing, defending Supply Management, and curbing corporate concentration in agriculture. The NFU also rejects harmful interprovincial trade deregulation and demands fair immigration policies that support farm labour needs.
Caribbean
The Cuban rural sector was critically reviewed during the second ordinary plenary session of the National Committee of the Cuban Peasant Association, which concluded on July 8, 2025. Reports were approved on the progress of work objectives and agreements from the 13th Congress of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP), including political oversight and its impact on key production indicators in the cooperative and peasant sectors. Discussions critically assessed management policies, grassroots organizational structures, and the reconciliation process between landowners and cooperative members.
In the Dominican Republic, at the 2nd Forum on Family Farming and Local Markets—organized by Justicia Alimentaria, the National Confederation of Rural Women (CONAMUCA), the Federation of Independent Farmers Mamá Tingó (FECAINMAT), and the Lemba Center for the Promotion of Farmers and Solidarity Initiative (ISOL)—studies were presented highlighting serious challenges in agri-food marketing and land title allocation, affecting over 6,000 farming families in the country’s south. During the event, rural organizations called for local markets to serve as spaces that ensure access to healthy, affordable food at fair prices. They shared community-based experiences and proposals aimed at strengthening coordination among peasant organizations, public institutions, and international partners.
AFRICA
From July 21 to 25, the Kenyan Peasant League (KPL) held the fifth training session on food sovereignty for peasant women and grassroots feminists. This event is part of ongoing training for farmers’ schools and popular feminists across East and Southern Africa. The feminist peasant school offers a space to challenge patriarchal and capitalist power structures—seen as “power over”—through creative pedagogy and popular education, aiming to build a feminist peasant logic of “power with.”
On July 21, women farmers from ESAFF Uganda in Kisoro district held a training on peasant feminism—a local approach to gender justice that centers women farmers in the struggle for food sovereignty and agroecology. This training is part of La Via Campesina’s efforts across East and Southern Africa to amplify women farmers’ voices and combat violence against women and girls.
In Mali, the CNOP organized a two-day training on strategies to improve understanding and integration of UNDROP into the country’s legal framework. The discussions led to concrete actions: raising awareness of the Declaration among farmers; creating educational tools suited to local contexts; engaging political leaders to ensure legal and institutional recognition of UNDROP; and advocating with national authorities to influence rural policies.
ARNA
On Saturday, July 12, 2025, the city of Nador hosted a large regional march organized by FNSA Morocco and the Moroccan Labour Union (UMT) under the slogan: “No to repression of trade union freedoms – Yes to fair and inclusive economic and social development.” Hundreds of activists from the region’s eight provinces marched in strong unity, demanding the immediate reinstatement of dismissed workers, respect for trade union rights, and the implementation of a fair regional development plan—one free from security-driven or improvised measures.
Europe
In Georgia, the Elkana Organic Farming Association announced the successful completion of a biodiversity restoration and conservation program benefiting local farmers and the country’s food sovereignty. After more than a year of work, endemic wheat varieties—such as Makha, Chelta Zanduri, Dika, and Kolkhuri Asli—as well as ancient crops like Dzadza, Mukhudo, Sartsvi, Ospi, Tsulipira, and other cereals, have been multiplied. Additionally, twenty-six local vegetable varieties have been recovered, collected, and propagated across Georgia. This marks a significant success for local peasants, who have witnessed the revival of their traditional culture and ancestral knowledge.
In Germany, ABL members commemorated the 500th anniversary of a historic farmers’ revolt. During a public event held in collaboration with other social organizations, peasants revisited the 12 articles that sparked the uprising and reflected on their relevance to today’s European farming realities. “One thing is clear,” they stated, “agriculture is and will remain political, and farmers and citizens must continue to fight together for justice, democracy, and peace.” Through this tribute, they honored the peasants who once stood against oppression, lack of freedom, and exploitation.
ASIA
Japan’s Family Farmers Movement (Nouminren) reportsthat the government is promoting corporate entry into agriculture, large-scale farming, and digital data control—without addressing the policy failures that caused rice shortages and soaring prices. Nouminren is calling for reforms focused on price guarantees and income compensation through direct payments to ensure stable, fair incomes for farmers and national food sovereignty. The group also advocates for new support schemes, including food security payments and environmental conservation subsidies. With 97% of rice produced by small farms, Nouminren warns that without meaningful support, Japan’s agriculture—and its vital social and environmental functions—faces further decline and growing corporate dominance.
The Korean Peasant Unions warn that heat-related illnesses are an escalating threat to farmers as heatwaves intensify. In early July, some areas hit over 40°C for the first time ever. Following a dry monsoon and heavy rains, the extreme heat returned strongly. Farmers often work in open fields or plastic greenhouses without shade or cooling, increasing their risk. Smallholder farmers working alone and migrant laborers, who usually can’t adjust hours, face even greater danger. The unions urgently call for formal protections and policies to safeguard farmers’ health amid worsening climate conditions.
The Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC) has highlighted serious human rights violations in the rehabilitation of victims of the 2022 floods in Sindh. Nearly three years later, promises remain unfulfilled, with many still suffering due to government negligence, inequality, and flawed recovery efforts. PKRC, alongside other civil society groups, calls for integrating human rights into disaster policy, reforming land rights for landless farmers, and replacing debt-based recovery with climate compensation. They urge transparent, community-led planning, better housing standards, inclusive aid access, and demand that the Global North and financial institutions fund recovery through grants—not loans—to support true climate justice.
A coordinated effort in Sri Lanka by MONLAR and allies is encouraging farmers across Sri Lanka to move away from chemical fertilizers and adopt eco-friendly practices. In collaboration with the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Development Center in Makandura, MONLAR has successfully tested an eco-friendly rice cultivation model. This “Nutrient Management Package” includes the parachute planting method, organic fertilizers, biochar, and biological pest control. Farmers from the North Western Province took part in field training, gaining scientific understanding of these sustainable methods. MONLAR aims to scale this initiative nationwide, promoting environmentally sound farming and strengthening farmer resilience through locally tailored, sustainable solutions.
We wrap up this months edition here. For more updates from July 2025, click here. If there are any important updates we have missed, please send the links to communications@viacampesina.org so that we can include them in the next edition. We only include updates from La Via Campesina members. Previous editions of our news wrap are also available on our website, and condensed versions are accessible as a podcast on Spotify.