ANPFa Hosts the Regional Launch of YORA

April 17, Pokhara City, Nepal: 21 peasant organisations representing rice farmers, cereal crop peasants, milk producers, tea farmers, fisher folks, pastoralists, women farmers, villagers, etc. gathered in Tutunga Village for the regional launch of the People's Year of Rice Action (YORA) on April 17, the International Day of Peasants' Struggle. Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP) and All Nepal Peasants' Federation (ANPFa) organised the event to officially launch YORA which will be participated in by 14 countries namely, Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh from 4 April 2009 to 4 April 2010.

Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister, Bamdev Gautam, (also Chairperson of ANPFa), graced the event and delivered the following message: "Save Our Rice is the main challenge as the Home of Rice, Asia, is the playground of multinational companies for their profits. Rice is not for profit. It is our life, our culture and our identity. Let us save our rice collectively. Today, we are also celebrating International Day of Peasants' Struggle in commemoration of the peasant massacre in Brazil. Nepal and Brazil are far geographically but sentimentally, we are very close. In the case of Nepal, we are in a critical period of peaceful transformation. We are the youngest republic which has to be strengthened into a federal republic state. There are so many challenges but peasants' rights, genuine agrarian reform and food sovereignty are major ones we are committed to. We, the Nepalese people, are very happy to welcome foreign guests and local people in this gathering where we are declaring YORA which will continue throughout the year and finally culminate in the Philippines."

In solidarity, representatives from various countries also attended the event : Chris Chavez representing Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Philippines, and the Asian Peasants Coalition (APC); Lotus Karmaker and farmers from BARCIK, Bangladesh; and Teoh Peir Yan of PAN AP based in Malaysia.

On behalf of PAN AP, Teoh Peir Yan stated the importance of YORA, "Our rice is facing huge threats in this time of global crises. YORA is about all of us standing together in solidarity to assert the food sovereignty of small rice farmers and rice consumers particularly in terms of their rights to safe and sufficient rice/food, essential living and production resources, and sustainable livelihoods. YORA is about all rice farmers and rice consumers from the villages to the cities calling out: "Rice is our Heritage! Rice is Our Life and Livelihood! Protect Our Rice! and Protect Our Rice Farmers! We can only save our rice if we are united."

Chris Chavez said, "In Asia, landlessness remains prevalent and has worsened, with vast tracts of land still in the hands of landlords and transnational corporations (TNCs). This basic problem in Asian agriculture has not been addressed by the so-called land reform programs of Asian countries' governments, which are otherwise watered down and loophole-ridden precisely to perpetuate land ownership by big landlords and TNCs. Majority of the land tillers in the Third World are still landless. According to the United Nation (UN) Hunger Task Force, 20% of the world's hungry are direct agricultural producers who do not have their own land."

He further stated, "These problems are further worsened by imperialist control in Asian agriculture. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and other agrochemical TNCs collaborated with our national government to implement programs and policies designed for their profit at the farmers' expense. These are the sad realities that we are facing yet, these are also the challenges and inspirations for us to move forward."

Following the program, the participants took part in the transplanting of "Pokhari Jetho Budo" seedlings, Pokhara's local rice which has a very good smell and taste. Everyone enjoyed the experience. They danced cheerfully beside the rice fields singing the Nepali rice song "Asare" played with traditional music instruments. On April 18 and 29, ANPFa also organised an Asian Rice Conference in Pokhara as part of YORA.

Calendar of Activities
In INDIA, the Society for Rural Education and Development (SRED) held a rice seed festival on April 17; the Society for Equitable Voluntary Actions (SEVA) had a floor/wall decoration using rice paste and rice food competitions from April 15 to 17 and; Living Farms organised an exchange of traditional seeds among 10 villages and a forum on the issue of hybrid rice seeds being supplied by Bayers Crop Science and their impacts on April 17. In INDONESIA, Aliansi Gerakan Reforma Agraria (AGRA) held a forum/seminar on the rice/food crisis and livelihood of small rice farmers in Jakarta and a mass action in South Sulawesi; Koalisi Rakyat untuk Kedaulatan Pangan (KRKP) had a workshop/training on local rice seed for farmers and NGOs, a local rice seed fair and a local rice festival. In the PHILIPPINES, the Resistance and Solidarity Against Agrochemical TNCs (RESIST) network implemented several activities that included a rally on April 3 at the Department of Agriculture, press conference on 4 April, rally in front of the House of Representatives in Quezon City on April 17 They also undertook a medical mission in the community living beside IRRI headquarters on April 17 in Laguna. In PAKISTAN, Lok Sanjh Foundation (LSF) had an extensive meeting with the farmers on April 17. In SRI LANKA, the Vikalpani National Women's Federation held a harvest festival from April 17 to 20.