What happens when something as fundamental as the seeds we rely on for food becomes a commodity? The new report by the UN Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas examines the growing battle over seeds through the lenses of human rights, food sovereignty and biodiversity. At its…
In Brazil, the World March of Women (WMW) and the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST) joined forces with the International Association for Popular Cooperation (Baobab) to develop an innovative artificial intelligence project aimed at advancing agroecology and agrarian reform by strengthening popular digital sovereignty. IARAA (Artificial Intelligence for Agrarian Reform and Agroecology) was launched in…
The UN Working Group on UNDROP: civil society consultation and first country visit Engaging UNDROP’s rights holders in the next thematic report of the Working Group Defending Peasants’ Rights continues to collaborate closely with the experts from the UN Working Group on UNDROP. In March 2026, we organised an online dialogue with the former chair…
Defending Peasants Rights is pleased to publish this report dedicated to the Cuban laboratory on peasant rights and food sovereignty, elaborated by the Cuban Association of Small-Scale Farmers (ANAP), with the support of CETIM. Cuba’s experience demonstrates that the principles and provisions enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other…
Peasant, Indigenous and Afrodescendant communities in Honduras have been facing intensification of violent attacks under the context of the Nasry Asfura’s government’s promotion of policies and practices that favor agribusiness and extraction over peasants’ rights. In wake of the recently approved “Law For The Strengthening And Protection Of The Agro-Industrial Sector, Energy Projects, Tourism, Livestock,…
Editor’s note: The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to a healthy environment has launched a call for inputs to inform a forthcoming thematic report on environmental human rights defenders, to be presented at the 64th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. This is an important opportunity for rural social movements,…
Defending Peasants’ Rights extends solidarity with Bolivia’s peasant and Indigenous organizations extraordinary uprising that gripped the country for over 50 days. What began as a response to a proposed land reform, which would have facilitated land concentration by large landowners, quickly escalated into a broad grassroots-based movement demanding the resignation of the corporate-led administration of…
Defending Peasants’ Rights hereby shares a study authored by Carlos Duarte, member of the UN Working Group on UNDROP, and published by the Pontifical Javeriana University of Cali and the Land Observatory (Observatorio de Tierras) in May 2026. The study examines the growing trend of agrarian counter-reforms in Latin America and the Caribbean and their…
Defending Peasants’ Rights is pleased to share a landmark study, published in April 2026 by researchers from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Cali, Colombia, including Carlos Duarte, member of the UN Working Group on UNDROP. This study provides the first regional mapping of laws recognising peasants and other rural populations across Latin America. It analyses…
The international webinar titled “Reinvigorating the Bandung Spirit to Strengthen Global South Solidarity,” held by the Indonesian Peasant Union (SPI) on 6 May 2026, marked the 71st Anniversary of the Asian-African Conference. It brought together participants from across Asia and Africa to revisit the Bandung Spirit and reflect on its continued relevance in today’s world,…
Following a ten-day visit to Ghana at the invitation of the Government, the Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas released an incisive statement (see below) highlighting the main outcomes of its visit, including advancements and ongoing challenges faced by UNDROP rights holders in Ghana in the realisation…
Today, April 17th, marks the International Day of Peasant Struggles. The Defending Peasants Rights platform stands in solidarity with peasants and rural communities worldwide. We honour those who have lost their lives in the struggle for dignity, land, and justice, and those who continue to feed humanity, protect biodiversity, and sustain the planet. Peasants, fisherpeople,…
