This August, La Via Campesina member organisations in South Asia, together with other allied organisations, have been preparing for the Third Global Nyéléni Forum, the highest expression of the movement for food sovereignty, systemic transformation and justice for all, which will take place in Sri Lanka from 6 to 13 September 2025. The event will bring together a wide range of social movements, including small-scale food producers, indigenous peoples, fishermen, pastoralists, workers and activists, with the aim of developing proposals for systemic transformation. Today, food sovereignty represents not only a space of resistance to neoliberalism, free market capitalism, destructive trade and investment, but also a space in which to build democratic food and economic systems and a just and sustainable future. In this space, the proposal to create a new trade framework based on Food Sovereignty and Solidarity will also be presented and discussed.
On 10 September, we will intensify our struggle against these neoliberal institutions, defend small farmers and rural communities, and protect our food sovereignty and biodiversity. On this day of global action, La Vía Campesina and its allies around the world will commemorate the International Day of Action against the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). We reaffirm the importance of removing the WTO from agriculture, ending the WTO, and proposing our alternative from the peoples.
Below, we share the struggles of peasants in all regions and continents.
South America
In Paraguay, the National Peasant Federation (FCN) mobilised this month in protest against evictions. They denounced the state’s failure to fulfil promises on community infrastructure development. Instead of resolving the problems of peasant settlements and small producers, the state is carrying out repressive measures such as evictions, threats of eviction, accusations, criminalisation and constant persecution of peasant leaders. The FNC is calling for state policies to develop communities, which involves investing in infrastructure and basic services to enable people to put down roots in the settlements.
In Argentina, rural organisations are getting organised and CLOC-Vía Campesina is re-emerging. Against a backdrop of attacks by the national government on family farming, Argentine peasant organisations are once again represented in the Latin American Coordination of Rural Organisations (CLOC). The constituent assembly took place in Jocolí (Mendoza) and brought together representatives of the five organisations that have been working together in recent years within the Argentine Agri-Food Roundtable and the UTEP-Agraria. This process of unity is crucial in the face of the advance of neoliberalism and the far right. Walking more united than ever will allow us to reclaim what we have lost and demand what we lack. The coalition seeks to recover rights, agroecology, care for the land and food sovereignty, among other common causes.
Central America
In Guatemala, Conavigua expressed its rejection, indignation and condemnation of the arbitrary, illegal and racist detention of Professor Estaban Áticos Tzay. They denounced how the Public Prosecutor’s Office uses racism against indigenous authorities and persecutes genuine authorities who have historically served their communities. In response to the arrest, they called for the defence of the right to peaceful protest and continued to defend the position that indigenous authorities are not terrorists, do not threaten the rule of law, and are not criminals.
In El Salvador, 36 peasant women (organised in FECORACEN, from the department of La Libertad) completed the first Training Cycle in Agroecology and Food Sovereignty developed at the Tutalyu Agroecological School, a space for collective knowledge that rescues peasant and indigenous knowledge to promote resilient and sustainable production models from the perspective of CLOC -Via Campesina and the rights of peasants.
North America
The Florida Farmworkers Association of the United States calls on the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide equitable disaster relief for the people who feed us. Large food and agriculture corporations are among the world’s biggest polluters. But the workers who grow, harvest, and prepare our food are among those most impacted by the climate crisis. Food and farm workers are the first to experience extreme heat, wildfires, floods, and other climate disasters. They face the destruction of homes and livelihoods, and even death. Disaster emergency and relief plans often completely exclude workers. That is why we are fighting for the expansion of disaster relief, such as the Food and Farm Workers Relief Programme, and disaster protection plans that include all workers who are the first to face the climate crisis.
Canada, The National Farmers Union (NFU) urged the federal government to withdraw Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act. This bill jeopardises the safety and rights of migrants and refugees, threatens agricultural production, and grants broad powers to the government to intrude into the private lives of all Canadians. The bill empowers the government to cancel, suspend or amend immigration documents, including applications, work permits or study permits, under the pretext of an undefined ‘public interest.’ Even the liberal-leaning Minister of Justice reports in his Charter Analysis that the new powers to cancel or amend immigration documents could interfere with the fundamental provisions of life, liberty, and security granted to all migrants and refugees.
Caribbean
In Haiti, more than three thousand people have been killed this year and over 1.3 million forced to flee their homes. All of this is the consequence of a planned insecurity, as grassroots organizations denounce, which today threatens the food sovereignty of the Haitian people. In the face of this reality, the UN and CARICOM are pushing to reinforce the foreign occupation launched in 2024—part of a neocolonial strategy aimed at seizing the country’s resources and its strategic position in the Caribbean. As La Vía Campesina has always made clear: Haiti’s future cannot be decided in Washington or at the OAS. Only a Haitian solution for Haiti, built by its people and popular movements, can open the path toward sovereignty and social justice.
Cuba celebrated the 64th anniversary of ANAP Magazine, a leading source of information, history, dedication and journalistic excellence. The magazine is the main channel of communication and dissemination of information for the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP), publicising the contributions of farmers to food sustainability, promoting sustainable agricultural practices such as agroecology, and thus seeking to contribute to the economic and social development of the nation.
Africa
In Togo, from August 26 to 28, 2025, the first edition of the Family Farming Days (JAFaT) took place, organized by the Togolese Coordination of Peasant and Agricultural Producer Organizations (CTOP) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and other key stakeholders. The event aimed to promote sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food systems, placing family farmers at the center. It addressed key topics such as agriculture-specific financing, farm mechanization, participatory natural resource management, and agricultural taxation, while fostering dialogue with the government and other partners.
In Senegal, the Senegalese peasant organizations met on August 19–20, 2025, in Thiès to actively contribute to the preparation of the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0 under the Paris Agreement, which guides nations in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience to climate change. The workshop, organized by CNCR, DCCTEFV, and ENDA Énergie, aimed to ensure an inclusive and participatory approach, enabling rural actors to share experiences and propose concrete measures on adaptation, food security, sustainable natural resource management, and agroecological transition. By reviewing the achievements and limitations of NDC 2.0, participants helped shape strategies to strengthen Senegal’s climate resilience, particularly in agriculture, while promoting family farming and responsible resource management. These contributions will be compiled into a position paper to inform the NDC 3.0 process and guide national climate action.
In Uganda, the Land Rights Support Centre of the Eastern and Southern Africa Small-scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF)Uganda, in collaboration with Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development and other land actors launched the 9th Land Awareness Week (LAW 2025) under the theme: Promoting Land Rights and Sustainable Land Use for Inclusive and Sustainable Development. LAW 2025 aims to provide community-level legal support to resolve land disputes, promote gender justice and inclusion in land ownership and decision-making, and strengthen community voices in land governance processes. The awareness week started on the 25th of August in Bukimanayi, Nabuweswa Village, Kaato Sub-County, Manafwa District which continue to face land rights challenges hindering development.
MVIWATA celebrated the National Farmers’ Day in Tanzania on August 8th. It used the event to highlight the important role played by peasant farmers in feeding the nation and called for upholding of their dignity and respect. MVIWATA also called for economic justice, the protection of land rights and support for Agroecology, Food Sovereignty and Climate Justice.
In Mozambique, UNAC organized on the 22nd of August a fair to showcase local seeds and agroecological products in the Gúruè district and to promote more of their use and consumption by the peasants and residents. The fair also aimed to contribute to the preservation and appreciation of traditional seeds, which are part of local culture and a symbol of the resilience of agricultural systems.
Asia
Meanwhile in Bangladesh, the Agricultural Workers Federation (BAFLF) has been holding protests demanding that the informal workers at the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) be made permanent and to have guaranteed work for 30 days each month. They are also asking the government to cancel the 2025 policy on daily temporary workers and bring back the 2017 policy on farm worker hiring and control.
In Pakistan, the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC) has expressed deep concern over the devastating floods sweeping across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, and parts of Punjab and Sindh. Since the monsoon began in late June, nearly 800 people have died in flash floods and glacial lake outbursts triggered by heavy rains. For small farmers, the destruction is catastrophic—wiping out seed stocks, crops, and animals, and threatening both current harvests and future planting.
Ahead of the rice harvest season, South Korean farmers are protesting the government’s decision to release 30,000 tons of government and imported rice, fearing it will drive down rice prices. Farmers, represented by groups like the Korea Rice Producers Association and the Korean Peasants League, held a nine-day sit-in and press conference near the presidential office, demanding a halt to the rice release and calling for a guaranteed price of 300 won per bowl of rice. They criticized Minister of Agriculture Song Mi-ryeong for lacking communication with farmers and continuing past policies without reform. Farmers argue that the government’s actions threaten their livelihoods and the stability of domestic rice production, while also undermining the fairness of agricultural policy in South Korea.
Nouminren in Japan reported about an online study session that explored the future of Japanese agriculture, focusing on rice production and food security. The discussion highlighted the importance of shared values between producers and consumers to determine fair rice prices and the need to build local peasant economic zones that strengthen farming communities. Emphasis was placed on regional revitalization through increasing the number of farmers and protecting farmland, with collaboration between young farmers and experienced ones. The session also addressed concerns about rice imports, and criticizing policies that prioritize lowering rice prices over supporting domestic agriculture. Participants warned against relying on continuous rice imports to solve supply issues, calling instead for measures that truly protect Japan’s food sovereignty and farming sector.
Europe
European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) farmers say NO to the EU-US trade agreement! This agreement threatens farmers, consumers and the planet. The agreement will flood the EU with products (seeds, dairy, pork, etc.) that do not meet our food and environmental standards and also weaken European farmers through unfair competition and falling prices. It will increase the European economy’s dependence on the United States. It will prioritise corporate profits over food sovereignty and rural livelihoods. European farmers demand policies that protect our food, our farms and our people, not trade agreements that sacrifice them.
In Spain, every year, the increased occurrence of destructive fires indicates the need for a new forestry policy and greater prevention measures. The best protection for the Galician countryside is to curb rural depopulation and commit to small-scale agroecological production. Hectares of land are burning across the country, exacerbated by high temperatures. But in Galicia, we know that fires are not only the result of heat and drought. Every summer, what the Galician suffer is the result of planned abandonment of the countryside, a failed forestry policy and an unsustainable agricultural model that leaves the land unprotected. And this year, Ourense and Lugo, in particular, are bearing the brunt of this lack of protection.
ARNA
In Morocco, on International Youth Day, August 12, the Youth of the Agricultural Sector from FNSA denounce global injustices facing young people, especially the genocide in Palestine. The Moroccan youth suffer from neoliberal policies, unemployment, privatization of essential services, and attacks on labor rights, with agricultural youth facing particularly harsh conditions. They reject anti-worker laws, demand the release of political prisoners, and call for the unity of Moroccan youth to defend their rights and support Palestinian resistance.
In Palestine, the complete blockade, closure of crossings, and shortage of agricultural supplies have not stopped the determination of farmers in Gaza. Farmer Rami Shaat, along with a group of farmers, managed to regain the ability to cultivate their lands despite the harsh conditions they face in order to meet part of the needs of the population in the Gaza Strip. This came within the efforts of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) to strengthen farmers’ resilience and support them in facing the most difficult circumstances caused by the Israeli genocide, through providing conditional cash assistance to purchase agricultural inputs that help them replant their lands. Continuing agriculture in Gaza is not just an economic activity, but a message of life and hope that affirms the will to survive and attachment to the land.
We wrap up this month’s edition here. For more updates from August 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 wrapare also available on our website, and condensed versions are accessible as a podcast on Spotify.