October 16-23, 2008 – La Via Campesina to hold International Conference in Mozambique

    | October 6, 2008

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    More than 500 men and women farmers’ leaders from over 70 countries will gather in Maputo, Mozambique, for La Via Campesina’s fifth annual conference, from October 16-23. La Via Campesina defines itself as the international movement of peasants, small- and medium-sized producers, the landless, rural women, indigenous people, rural youth, and agricultural workers. Delegates will present their analyses of the current agricultural situation and debate strategies for future action.
    This event will start with the Rural Youth Assembly on October 16, which has been designated World Food Day by the United Nations. It will be followed by the Women’s Assembly and by the conference itself. The president of Mozambique, Armando Emilio Guebuza, will be present at the conference inauguration, October 19.

    The conference will give journalists the opportunity to interview farmer leaders from every continent, to document their stories, and better understand the strategies that family farmers will adopt to solve the food crisis. It will also give journalists a chance to meet members of the Mozambican farmer movement and interview local producers in their fields.

    Due to logistical limitations, only a limited number of journalists will be accredited to cover the conference from October 21 to 23. However, La Via Campesina can organize media interviews by phone (or other means) during the conference and send high resolution pictures and video images to any media interested in covering the event from their home base.

    For a press kit, visit: www.viacampesina.org. For more media information, contact
    Isabelle Delforge, by e-mail at: idelforge@viacampesina.org, or by phone at: +32 498522163.