image: https://revolve.media/beyond/what-is-agroecology This article provides a summary of an academic paper written by Romberg de Sá Gondim (avaliable here) Introduction As digital tools tend to incorporate a top-down and corporate driven approach, these technologies have been easily assimilated by large-scale farms and in particular with the Green Revolution (Shelton et al., 2022). On another hand,…
Defending Peasants’ Rights hereby republishes the statement released on the website of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (available here). Editor’s note: The experts’ visit, initially planned for November 4–14, 2025, was postponed despite its critical timing, following recent protests in Ecuador that were met with a state of emergency and…
On 18 September 2025, on the occasion of the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, a parallel conference brought together actors committed to the protection of the rights of rural communities at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Entitled “Advancing the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas through…
For several years now, civil society‑led initiatives have sought to make alive and effective the rights recognised in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP). While this historic text, adopted in 2018 thanks to a sustained international mobilisation, represents an important milestone in recognising collective…
Photo: MST (Brazil) This article draws on the example of Brazil to illustrate the synergies and complementarities between agroecology and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP). What do we actually mean by agroecology? In summary, one could say that agroecology is a life project:…
Contribution from La Via Campesina Brazil to the UN Working Group on the UNDROP La Via Campesina Brazil has submitted a written contribution in response to the call from the UN Working Group on peasants’ rights, outlining the main challenges faced by the Brazilian peasantry. Drafted collectively following a training session on the UNDROP for…
In a groundbreaking decision issued on April 16, 2024 (Ruling No. T-123/24), the Colombian Constitutional Court granted protection to an elderly peasant couple forced to leave their land after repeated flooding. This ruling marks a turning point in how Colombian jurisprudence addresses internal displacement linked to natural disasters. To do so, the Court relied on…
2026 has been declared by the United Nations Organization the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. WAMIP, the World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Peoples, is preparing for this year, to make sure that the voice of pastoralists will be front and center and their rights upheld. Pastoralists are directily recognized as rights holders of UNDROP….
On July 5, 2023, Colombia reformed its Political Constitution, in particular Article 64. Since 1991, Article 64 has laid down the State’s duty to help agricultural workers gain access to land ownership, as well as to a series of rights enabling them to enjoy a better standard of living. This duty remains in the new…
This report was first published on Fian International’s website in June 2024. The introduction below was written specifically for Defending Peasants’ Rights, to highlight the UNDROP’s role. You can find the original introduction here and the report below. Carbon markets vs. peasant autonomy: UNDROP’s role in safeguarding rights and data sovereignty There is an urgent…
Notes from the authors Introduction In this article we propose three approaches to recognize the “environmental component of the peasantry” in international environmental law. This concept, introduced by the Colombian Constitution through Legislative Act 01 of 2023, mandates that decision-making processes affecting peasants take into account their special relationship with the ecosystems they rely on….
Thesis to obtain the Master in International and Development Studies of the Graduate Institute in International and Development Studies in Geneva AbstractFocusing on the Guarani Mbyá and the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) in Santa Catarina, this thesis explores the similarities and differences between indigenous and landless food sovereignty. It shows how their narratives are intertwined…
