A3. Agroecology

Rural and peasant communities—who have contributed least to the climate crisis—are paying the highest price for its impacts, as recent violent storms and torrential rainfall have triggered devastating flash floods across Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

The post Rural and Peasant Communities Pay the Highest Price as Torrential Rains and Flash Floods Ravage Southern Africa appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

Local sourcing programs funneled healthy foods to those that needed it most. With food assistance dollars disappearing, aid groups are piloting solutions to keep farm-grown foods on pantry shelves.

The post NC Food Pantries Fill the Gap After Funding Cuts appeared first on RAFI.

The annual EcoFarm Conference took place last weekend, bringing together thousands of organic and sustainable farmers, organizations and agriculture and food systems experts. At the end of the Friday morning plenary session, a surprise guest took the stage—Senator Adam Schiff,

The post EcoFarm Welcomes a U.S. Senator to their Conference for the First Time appeared first on CalCAN - California Climate & Agriculture Network.

Defending the right to land and access to resources is fundamental to the realisation of the right to food, especially in a global context marked by escalating conflicts, growing corporate concentration, and the dispossession of land and natural resources. For the constituencies of the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism (CSIPM), this is a historic political priority and a central focus of their demands within the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

Ahead of the Second International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD+20), to be held in Colombia from 24 to 28 February 2026, social movements from more than 70 countries, organised through the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC), are calling for mobilisation to defend land and territories and to advance food sovereignty. They also call on the FAO and the CFS to establish robust and participatory mechanisms to ensure the effective implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT).

The conference and its outcomes are of particular relevance to the CFS, especially with regard to the implementation and uptake of the VGGT. This was recognised by the CFS 52 Plenary (2024) and the CFS 53 Plenary (2025). The latter encouraged the Government of Colombia and FAO to present the outcomes to the CFS 54 Plenary in October 2026, as well as to contribute to the preparation of the 2027 High-Level Forum on equitable land governance and tenure rights.

Below, we share the press release from the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty:

20 January 2026

As geopolitical conflicts intensify and corporate control over land, territory and natural resources deepens, social movements, and Indigenous Peoples from across the world are rallying behind the Second International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD+20) – being hosted by the Government of the Republic of Colombia and to be held in Cartagena, Colombia, from 24 to 28 February 2026.

From Palestine to Venezuela, from Cuba to the Arctic, a renewed imperial scramble for territory, minerals, water, and energy is underway. Financial investments, military occupation, economic blockades, and so-called security, development, and green transition projects are increasingly used by governments, corporations and elites to dispossess peoples and grab power over strategic resources. As a result, the world is witnessing escalating land concentration, the dispossession of peoples from their territories and commons, and growing inequality.

As global social movements of small-scale food producers, we are determined to unite in Cartagena to expose how these global power struggles directly impact rural and urban working-class communities and to fight for public policies that respect our rights and autonomy.

This capitalist and imperialist expansion has pushed the global food system into deep crisis. It is collapsing under climate breakdown, industrial monocultures, and extreme inequality. We, the peasants, Indigenous Peoples, and small-scale food producers who feed most of the world and protect ecosystems, are facing a new wave of dispossession driven by militarisation, big technology, organised crime and the commercialisation of climate action.

We, representatives of social movements from over 70 countries, organized through the International Planning Committee on Food Sovereignty (IPC), and attending ICARRD+20 as part of the Common Political Action Agenda emerging from the 3rd Nyéléni Global Forum, call on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) to establish robust, participatory, and regular assessment mechanisms to monitor the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT).

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) must be central pillars of comprehensive agrarian reforms, guiding states to protect collective rights, ensure participation, uphold free, prior and informed consent, and defend territories against dispossession.

ICARRD+20, which will take place from 24 to 28 February 2026, comes twenty years after the first conference in Porto Alegre. In the intervening decades, land concentration has intensified and new forms of land and water grabbing have expanded. As social movements, we insist that the conference must move beyond technical recommendations and voluntary pledges.

We are calling for comprehensive agrarian reform grounded in four pillars:

• recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ and customary rights over land, territories and water;
• redistribution of land and resources, including limits on corporate and military accumulation;
• restitution for communities dispossessed by land grabbing, colonialism, occupation, and conflict;
• and strong regulation of land markets to protect food-producing territories from extractive, speculative, and military uses.

A comprehensive agrarian reform is central to democracy, peace, and climate justice.

Any meaningful agrarian reform must centre women’s equal land rights, secure dignified futures for rural youth, and recognise the rights, safety, and belonging of sexually diverse and gender-diverse people in rural territories. Without political commitments and effective global monitoring and cooperation mechanisms, land grabbing simply takes new forms.

Our struggle for agrarian reform today is inseparable from our fight against imperialism, authoritarianism, and ecological collapse. ICARRD+20 is a critical moment to intensify our united efforts to reclaim land, territories, restore dignity to rural peoples, build food sovereignty, and defend the foundations of life itself.

As the IPC Working Group on Land, Forests, Water, and Territories, we will organize a Social Movements and Indigenous Peoples Forum on February 22 and 23 to prepare our collective proposals for the Conference.

Defending Life, Building Food Sovereignty!

People’s Control over Land, Water and Territories, NOW!

• List of Global Social Movements: La Via Campesina (LVC), IITC, WFFP, WFF, WAMIP, WMW, FIMARC, MIJARC, HIC, URGENCI
• List of Regional Social Movements: AFSA, CAOI, COPROFAM, ECMIA, MAELA, PROPAC, ROPPA, USFSA
• Key Dates
  • Social Movement Forum: 22–23 February 2026
  • Academic Forum: 20–22 February 2026
  • Official ICARRD+20 Conference: 24–28 February 2026
  • Press Conference: To be confirmed (virtual or in Cartagena)

• Viviana Rojas (LVC) – viviana.rojas@viacampesina.org or press@viacampesina.org
• Andrey Martinez (CLOC-LVC) – andreyviacampesina@gmail.com
• Francesco Panié (IPC Secretariat) – f.panie@croceviaterra.it

The post Global Social Movements Rally Around ICARRD+20 as Struggles Over Land, Commons, and Territories Intensify appeared first on CSIPM.

This weekend, fire once again revealed the brutal face of a model that sacrifices territories and lives: in the Biobío and Ñuble regions of Chile, flames advanced across some 30,000 hectares driven by extreme heat and intense winds.

The post Chile | Denouncing the expansion of corporate and extractive interests: fires in Biobío and Patagonia appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

This profile is part of an ongoing series that introduces members of CalCAN’s newly formed Stewardship Council. The Stewardship Council serves as advisors on our long-term goals, ensuring that our work remains aligned with our vision and mission.  CC: Tell

The post CalCAN Stewardship Council Profile: Miguel Garcia appeared first on CalCAN - California Climate & Agriculture Network.

"This act resembles the plunder carried out in December 1914 in Haiti to steal all the gold reserves held in our central bank, and the physical occupation by US capitalists" - Tèt Kole Ti Peyizan

The post Peasant Movements in Haiti Denounce the U.S Aggression in Venezuela appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

Peasant movements across Europe and Latin America have welcomed a key vote in the European Parliament on 21 January that temporarily halts the ratification process of the controversial EU–Mercosur FTA.

The post ECVC and CLOC Celebrate European Parliament Vote on EU–Mercosur FTA appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

On January 14, 2026, 52 farmers from the Confédération Paysanne were detained following a peaceful occupation of the Ministry of Agriculture in Paris. After public pressure, they were released on the 15th, without charges.

The post Peasant Organizations Worldwide Express Solidarity with French Peasants Facing Criminalization appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

Our struggle for agrarian reform today is inseparable from our fight against imperialism, authoritarianism, and ecological collapse. ICARRD+20 is a critical moment to intensify our united efforts to reclaim land, territories, restore dignity to rural peoples, build food sovereignty

The post Global Social Movements Rally Around ICARRD+20 as Struggles Over Land, Commons, and Territories Intensify appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

The Congress announced countrywide protests on March 28, against corporate farming, land grabbing, unfair crop prices, lack of a guaranteed minimum support price, and deregulated agricultural markets.

The post Pakistan: PKRC’s 4th Federal Congress Condemns Corporate Farming and ‘Green Washing’ Initiatives appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

Each week, Food Tank is rounding up a few news stories that inspire excitement, infuriation, or curiosity.

Ocean Temperatures Hit Alarming New Record in 2025

The world’s oceans absorbed a record amount of heat in 2025, marking the highest level ever recorded, according to a new study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences.

Oceans absorb about 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by rising greenhouse gas emissions, according to NASA, making ocean heat content a key indicator of the changing climate. “Global warming is ocean warming,” says Professor John Abraham of the University of St. Thomas, a co-author of the study.

Rising ocean temperatures can intensify extreme events like hurricanes, cyclones, and heavy rainfall, while also driving longer marine heatwaves that damage marine ecosystems. Warmer water expands as it heats, contributing directly to sea level rise and increasing risks for coastal communities worldwide.

The researchers conclude that ocean warming will continue until global greenhouse gas emissions reach net‑zero, warning that delaying emissions reductions will lock in further impacts on oceans and climate systems.

U.S. Withdraws from 66 International Organizations

The United States has formally withdrawn from 66 international organizations, nearly half of which are affiliated with the United Nations, according to a Presidential Memorandum signed by President Donald Trump. The affected bodies work across sectors including public health, climate change, migration, peacebuilding, and education.

The memorandum states that these organizations “undermine America’s independence” and “promote radical climate policies” that conflict with U.S. sovereignty and economic priorities. The administration claims the withdrawal will prevent taxpayer dollars from funding “ineffective or hostile agendas.”

Experts say the move marks a major shift in U.S. global engagement. Nina Schwalbe of Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Policy and Politics calls the decision “ridiculous and dangerous,” adding that if exiting the World Health Organization in 2024 was like “cutting down a tree,” this broader withdrawal is akin to “cutting down the whole forest.”

Will 2026 See a New Farm Bill?

Congress has not passed a new five-year Farm Bill since the last one expired in 2023, instead opting for temporary one-year extensions. A new essay by Kathleen Merrigan and Christopher Neubert of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University questions whether comprehensive five-year legislation will return at all.

Traditionally, Merrigan and Neubert explain, Congress has been able to pass Farm Bills because farmers in support of subsidies and anti-hunger advocates see the advantage in working together to build the bipartisan support needed to pass the legislation.

But the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed in July 2025, altered that dynamic, cutting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding by US$186 billion over ten years while increasing farm subsidies by US$60 billion. As a result of those changes and current divisions in Congress, the authors believe a regular five-year Farm Bill may be out of reach, writing that it’s more likely the stalemate in Congress “will continue indefinitely.”

Instead, Congress may continue to extend programs through smaller bills rather than attempt a full Farm Bill overhaul. Without new legislation, they conclude, food and agriculture advocates will need to reassess strategies for advancing their policy priorities.

Carson and Oz Praise Trump-Vance Administration’s Focus on “Real Food”

Dr. Ben Carson, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Advisor for Nutrition, Health, and Housing, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, say the Trump-Vance Administration is “Making America Healthy Again” by shifting nutrition policy toward whole foods. In a joint op-ed, they argue that the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines finally prioritize the well-being of Americans after decades of ultra-processed diets.

Carson and Oz cite the USDA Plan for American Ranchers and Consumers and the US$700 million Regenerative Agriculture Pilot Program as steps to support local farmers and reduce long-term production costs. “By making milk, raising cattle, and growing wholesome fruits, vegetables, and grains, they hold the key to solving our national health crisis,” they write.

Organizations like Friends of the Earth applaud the intent of these programs, but note that these measures may fall short unless recent cuts to funding and staff needed to help farmers design and implement regenerative practices are reversed. The Trump-Vance Administration has also not addressed how millions of U.S. households will access whole foods following the largest cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in history.

Sudan Marks 1,000 Days of Conflict

Sudan has now endured 1,000 days of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, a civil war that began in April 2023. The violence has triggered one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises: an estimated 33.7 million people, two-thirds of the country’s population, will need assistance in 2026, and 21 million are expected to face acute food insecurity, UNICEF reports.

Children make up half of those affected, with around 5,000 displaced every day due to ongoing violence. Hunger is also becoming “increasingly gendered,” according to Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Female-headed households are three times more likely to experience food insecurity, with 75 percent lacking sufficient food.

The U.N. is calling for urgent humanitarian access to hard-hit areas, including the cities of al-Fashir and Kadugli, where famine conditions are escalating under continued siege by armed groups. Officials warn that without immediate aid, conditions will further deteriorate.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Cody Mclain, Unsplash

The post Food Tank’s Weekly News Roundup: Soaring Ocean Temperatures, U.S. Retreat from Global Organizations, and 1,000 Days of Conflict in Sudan appeared first on Food Tank.

The CFS Bureau and Advisory Group will meet on 27 January in a hybrid format to address topics such as the CFS 54 provisional agenda, the criteria for the CFS 54 side events, the guidelines for the CFS reporting exercise 2025, the CFS workstreams updates, and the CFS Chairperson’s outreach activities.

Provisional agenda and background documents

• Provisional agenda
• CFS 54 Provisional Agenda
• CFS 54 Side Events process and criteria
• Reporting Exercise
• Workstream updates and CFS Chair’s outreach
• Inputs on topics for the CFS retreat
• Presentation of the CFS Uptake Toolkit
• Any other business

The post CFS Bureau and Advisory Group meeting | 27 January 2026 appeared first on CSIPM.

On January 9, Governor Newsom released the details of his proposed budget for the fiscal year starting in July 2026 and ending in June 2027 (FY 26-27). The proposed budget includes one-time funding from Proposition 4 for a number of

The post Governor’s Budget Proposal Includes Funding for Healthy Soils, Equipment-sharing, Farm-to-School, and Farmworker Housing Energy Efficiency Upgrades appeared first on CalCAN - California Climate & Agriculture Network.

A version of this piece was featured in Food Tank’s newsletter, released weekly on Thursdays. To make sure it lands straight in your inbox and to be among the first to receive it, subscribe now by clicking here.

Transforming the food system is about more than just what’s on our plates—it’s about building a society rooted in sustainable agriculture, worker justice, local culture, and accessible diets that nourish and heal us. In short, telling stories of food means telling stories of people.

This is what Food Tank is planning to do next week during Sundance. At our annual All Things Food and Environment Summit, on Saturday, Jan. 24, in Park City, UT, we’re planning an amazing lineup that connects the dots between media storytelling, visionary changemakers on the ground, and cultural leaders who are inspiring us to move forward.

Following a screening of documentary Food 2050, by The Rockefeller Foundation and Media RED, we are convening a fireside reflection with Jian Yi, Mama’s Kitchen; Sara Farley, The Rockefeller Foundation; David Osogo, African Population and Health Research Center; Matthew Thompson, the Director of Food 2050; and more to be announced. Then, a reception will be introduced by Chef Bleu Adams of Indigihub, and cocktails will be available from our partners at Wheyward Spirits.

Then, we’ll present “Voices of Farmers: Growing the Future” in partnership with Niman Ranch, handing the stage over to farmers from around the world for an evening of authentic storytelling. Hosted by a surprise celebrity emcee, we’ll hear from folks including Elle Gadient, a fifth-generation Iowa hog and cattle farmer; Lynsey Gammon of Gracie’s Farm in Utah; Albert Betoudji, a New Roots immigrant farmer in Utah; Paula Swaner Sargetakis of Frog Bench Farms, an urban farm in Salt Lake City; David Chen of Zoe’s Garden in Utah; AJ Kanip of Ute Tribal Enterprises; Hannah Greenshields of The Food Farm on the NSW Central Coast in Australia; David Moscow, Actor, Creator, Host, and Author, “From Scratch”; and Dr. Lisbeth Louderback, Natural History Museum of Utah.

If you’re in Utah, you can find more information about how to join us by CLICKING HERE.

And for Food Tankers around the world who might not be able to join us in person, I encourage and challenge you to make next Saturday, Jan. 24, a day of food system and people-centric storytelling in your own communities!

There’s no shortage of topics to explore. For starters, you can read and watch more about each of the visionaries featured in the Food 2050 documentary HERE.

Or take a moment to head to your local bookstore to grab one of the titles on our most recent reading list, ranging from personal histories to broader cultural analyses.

You can explore how supermarkets shape eaters and the planet in the PBS episode “Shelf Life,” or tune in to chef and creator Brad Leone’s YouTube series “Local Legends,” focusing on sustainable food and community-driven resilience. Or, check out these 18 eye-opening documentaries exploring inspiring efforts of farmers and advocates around the globe.

And finally, I want to make one thing clear: Food Tank stands firmly with all immigrants seeking better lives for themselves and their families through the food system. It has been sickening to witness the intimidation and violence that the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has brought to U.S. cities, including the unjustified murder of poet, wife, and mother Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Every person deserves a life free from violence, free from intimidation and discrimination and dehumanization, wherever they were born and wherever they live.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Marc Fanelli Isla, Unsplash

The post Join Us for a Day of People-Centered Food System Storytelling! appeared first on Food Tank.

Brent and Michelle Arp say that farming is in their blood. Brent’s 85-year-old father still farms on the more than 120-year-old farm where both he and Brent grew up. Michelle was raised around dairy cattle and once named the Iowa State Dairy Princess. Today, the couple farms about 600 acres of grain in Eastern Iowa and raises hogs and cattle.

But even for a generations-old farming family with established roots in Iowa, it has been difficult for the Arps to acquire land of their own.

“It’s about impossible out here anymore. The price has just gotten outrageous for good farm ground around us,” says Brent.

Increasing interest from investors for development, corporate land buyers, limited supply, and population growth are driving up the cost of land in the Midwest. In the Arps’ area, Brent says outside investors have bought several farms as security for their retirement plans. And those that have inherited land— those without mortgages—tend to accumulate more acres. This drives land prices up and out of reach for first-time buyers like the Arps.

The Arps rented farmland for about 20 years before they were given the opportunity to buy it. The owners offered the sale because their children did not want to return to the farm. The Arps are still in the process of buying—and they both still hold off-farm jobs to make ends meet—but say that the opportunity was too rare to pass up.

“When we were thinking about buying it, we were going back and forth like, this is crazy. We’re never going to be able to do it,” says Brent. “But we took a chance.”

And it has worked out for Brent and Michelle. In 2022, they started raising pigs for Niman Ranch, a specialty meat company offering a guaranteed price for their pork in exchange for high humane and sustainable farming standards. This gave the Arps financial stability to remain a small farm while investing in their future.

“You’re not going to make a killing raising hogs. But there’s a little bit of money there,” says Brent. “Adding another line to the farm that actually has cash flows was a big relief.”

Brent explains that growing corn and soybeans—the two crops that comprise the vast majority of planted farmland in Iowa—is highly variable in terms of profit. One year can make a relatively high profit, while the second year might only break even, and the third and fourth years may be negative.

For example, the Arps are making half of what they made two years ago on corn. And their beans have lost US$5 per bushel. “On our farm, we raise anywhere from 15,000 to 20,000 bushels of beans. You take US$5 a bushel off of that, that’s US$100,000 [lost],” Brent explains.

Farmers do not choose their prices. Grain dealers tell farmers how much they will pay for corn or soy—a price that is set based on Chicago Board of Trade prices and global markets—and they can take or leave it. “A lot of people who have never been around farming don’t really understand that that’s how the commodity market works in farming,” says Michelle.

“It also seems like whenever our grain prices go up, our input [prices] go up too,” Brent adds. “And those input costs don’t come back down very fast even when the prices we sell for do. So we’ve got to make that up somewhere. A lot of times it’s either debt or you take it out of your savings.”

Brent and Michelle worry about the next generation’s ability to access land to keep farming. Their son has his heart set on farming, but he has to work off the farm to make a living. This is typical in Iowa, where about 60 percent of farmers have some form of off-farm employment, according to Iowa State University.

“The next generation is looking towards their future and thinking, how am I even going to get started?” says Michelle.

Brent says that older farmers can help support the next generation by renting their land to younger farmers after retiring, or selling it to a farming family within the community. The Arps are lucky that their landlord offered them the opportunity to purchase, Brent explains, because they could have gotten “top dollar” from an outside investor. But they wanted the land to stay with a local farming family.

“They want to see the small family farm maintained…and they know that we’re going to put things back into the land, we’re going to try and renew it every year,” says Michelle. “Whereas some of these big guys, you don’t know for sure what they’re going to do. Are they just going to run it for five years, take everything they can, and then be done?”

Still, Brent and Michelle see hope for the future of the food system. Independent markets that support small family farms, such as Niman Ranch, and increasing consumer interest in humanely and sustainably raised meat are giving opportunities to younger farmers like their son.

“The younger people really care about how their food is raised. They don’t just look at the price. They want to know that the animal is well cared for. And that’s impressive to me that they care that much,” says Brent. “I think that’s only going to grow.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Mathias Grischott, Unsplash

The post The Struggle—and Hope—for the Next Generation of Farmers appeared first on Food Tank.

The demonstration on 14 January in front of the Ministry of Agriculture is part of a series of mass protests expressing the anger and despair of European farmers.

The post La Via Campesina Condemns Arrests and Repression of Peasant Leaders in France appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

More than 150 peasants from the Confédération Paysanne (Farmers' Confederation) from all over France, including a large delegation from the DROMs, occupied the Ministry of Agriculture.

The post ALERT: 52 Peasants Arrested in France—La Via Campesina Demands Their Immediate Release appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

Farm organizations warn that the change would force farmers who use these varieties to buy seed or plants every year, increasing costs, weakening autonomy.

The post Canada | Farmers Urge Ottawa to Protect Seed Saving Rights appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

RAFI is pleased to announce the appointment of Mo Murrie to join Kavita Koppa as RAFI’s new co-executive leadership team. Both directors have risen through the ranks of RAFI and are uniquely positioned to move the organization forward in partnership.

The post RAFI Announces New Co-Executive Team appeared first on RAFI.