Via Campesina International Coordination

Via Campesina International Coordination
Name	Via Campesina International Coordination
Formation	1993
Type	Social movement
Headquarters	Managua, Nicaragua
Region served	Global
Membership	Peasant, small-scale farmer, indigenous and rural worker organizations
Leader title	International Coordinating Committee

Via Campesina International Coordination is an international peasant and small-scale farmer movement that convenes national and regional organizations to advocate for agrarian reform, food sovereignty, and rural rights. Founded in the early 1990s amid globalizing trade debates, it links grassroots groups with transnational advocacy networks, international institutions, and social movements to influence policy at forums such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Trade Organization, and the United Nations system. The Coordination emphasizes collective action, participatory decision-making, and a platform forged through global assemblies.

History

The Coordination traces roots to peasant mobilizations in the 1980s and early 1990s, bringing together actors connected to the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, the Landless Workers' Movement (MST), and agrarian reform campaigns in Nicaragua. Early gatherings intersected with debates at the World Food Summit (1996), the World Social Forum, and meetings in Monsanto-targeted protests. Founders included delegates from La Via Campesina (national movements), solidarity networks linked to International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations and activists influenced by figures associated with Ernesto "Che" Guevara-inspired land struggles and Amílcar Cabral-style liberation efforts. Over subsequent decades, the Coordination engaged with negotiations surrounding the WTO's Agreement on Agriculture, participated in civil society coalitions at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, and helped craft the concept of food sovereignty that circulated through Nyéléni gatherings.

Structure and Governance

Decision-making is organized through an International Coordinating Committee and periodic global assemblies that mirror the federated membership drawn from regional platforms such as the European Coordination Via Campesina, Asia Pacific Farmers' Forum, and networks in Africa. Leadership rotates among delegates representing associations like the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP) and the Kisan Sabha-affiliated groups, with policy positions developed through working groups on trade, land rights, seeds, and gender linked to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) dialogues. Governance documents emphasize consensus-building and are influenced by practices from movements like the International Indian Treaty Council and the World March of Women, while engaging with legal frameworks such as conventions of the International Labour Organization.

International Coordination and Networks

The Coordination maintains relationships with international organizations including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Committee on World Food Security, and non-governmental platforms like La Via Campesina (allied groups), Friends of the Earth International, and the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of Family Farming (RIRAF). It participates in networks addressing agroecology alongside research centres such as CIP (International Potato Center), CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture), and collaborates with advocacy entities connected to the Global Justice Movement and the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty. Liaison work involves coordination with delegations to the Human Rights Council and engagement with rapporteurs linked to the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.

Campaigns and Policy Advocacy

Prominent campaigns include opposition to corporate seed privatization tied to Monsanto and advocacy for seed sovereignty resonant with policies debated at the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The Coordination has mobilized around land occupations similar to actions by the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra and pushed for reforms referenced in discussions at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund policy forums. Campaign themes encompass agroecology promotion consistent with positions in IPCC-related climate justice debates, defending indigenous land claims discussed at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and resisting investment models linked to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Regional and National Organizations

Membership spans national groups such as FENOCIN, COSATU-aligned rural wings, Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores Agrícolas, and networks in Europe including Confédération Paysanne. Regional platforms include Asia Pacific Farmers' Forum, La Via Campesina Africa, and federations in Latin America like Coordination of Latin American Peasant Organizations (CLOC). These organizations engage in coordinated campaigns, training exchanges with institutes like CIAT and Bioversity International, and joint statements with entities such as Human Rights Watch and Oxfam International when addressing land grabs and corporate accountability.

Funding and Resources

Funding arises from member contributions, solidarity fundraising, and grants from sympathetic foundations and philanthropic actors historically engaged with rural development such as the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, and trusts supporting agroecology research. Resource flows also include in-kind support from allied unions and exchanges with international aid agencies like IFAD and cooperative projects with the Food and Agriculture Organization. Emphasis is placed on autonomy from corporate finance, drawing inspiration from funding principles espoused by movements like Via Campesina (regional bodies) and anti-globalization coalitions that prioritize grassroots resourcing.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics have pointed to tensions between radical grassroots factions and more institutionalized partners when engaging with bodies such as the United Nations or World Bank, echoing debates seen in collaborations between the Landless Workers' Movement (MST) and state actors. Accusations include uneven representation among gender and indigenous constituencies similar to critiques leveled at multinational networks like Friends of the Earth and disputes over strategy seen in histories of the World Social Forum. Controversy has also arisen over funding transparency and relations with donor foundations, paralleling scrutiny faced by organizations such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace in donor-dependent contexts.

Category:Social movements