land grabs

Big news for those who care about the rights of rural and indigenous people around the world: After more than 272,000 people signed petitions and took action with Oxfam’s Behind the Brands campaign, PepsiCo, the world’s second-largest food and beverage company, committed to take steps to stop land grabs in its supply chain.

On 1 June 2011, Oxfam launched the GROW campaign to tackle the injustice of 900 million people going to bed hungry every night. The campaign now works in more than 50 countries around the world and at the international level.

UPDATE: Deadline extended and new prizes announced! Win signed books by world renowned photographer Rankin! Just 2 more days to Stand for Land!

People in over 55 countries have taken a Stand for Land rights – join in!

Today, Blog Action Day coincides with World Food Day. Bloggers around the world are highlighting the issue of human rights. At Oxfam, we believe everyone has the right to life and security, and to a sustainable livelihood. People around the world rely on land, literally, for their bread and butter.

Too often, the sugar in your favorite food and drinks is sourced by kicking farmers and their families off their land. This leaves people homeless and hungry.

But you can change this. Tell Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Associated British Foods (ABF) to make sure their sugar doesn’t lead to land grabs.

When two very unequal guys are fighting, an old Colombian saying tells us that we have a fight between “a free tiger and a tied donkey.”

What is a land grab? Land grabs are huge purchases of land by banks, private investors, governments or corporations which result in the often violent eviction of local people from their homes and the loss of the livelihoods and small farms which feed their families.

More: Land grabs FAQ

So how did Oxfam activists and supporters speak out on land grabbing?

¿Qué son los acaparamientos de tierras? Son grandes transacciones de tierras realizadas por los bancos, inversores privados, gobiernos o empresas que, con frecuencia, implican el desalojo violento de la población local de sus hogares y la pérdida de los medios de vida y pequeñas explotaciones con los que alimentaban a sus familias. Más: Acaparamientos de tierras

At its inception, Oxfam was critical of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in Africa. Eric Muñoz of Oxfam America has been on a fact-finding mission to New Alliance countries and explains below that serious concerns remain.

Hay suficientes alimentos en el mundo para alimentar a todo el planeta. Entonces, ¿por qué una de cada ocho personas sigue yéndose a la cama con hambre? Este mes, ocho personas se reunirán en Irlanda del Norte y podrán empezar a responder a esta pregunta.