International Day of Peasant Struggles: farmers continue to rise against free trade and injustice

Three decades later, urgent calls for justice and reform remain unanswered. Peasants worldwide continue to face dispossession, criminalisation, and the unchecked expansion of industrial agribusiness, all of which threaten their livelihoods and communities. These challenges demonstrate the need for agrarian reform and food sovereignty to build just and resilient societies.

In Belgium, the Festival des Luttes Paysannes (Festival of Peasant Struggles) brings together farmers, activists, and citizens to mark 30 years of resistance through debates, cultural activities, and collective mobilisation. The two-day festival, which begins today, highlights the daily realities of peasant communities and forges alliances between rural and urban struggles. At the heart of this movement is a clear rejection of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, a deal that sacrifices farmers and food sovereignty for corporate profit. European producers already face low and unstable incomes, and increased imports could further depress prices, intensifying unfair competition and accelerating the disappearance of small and medium-sized farms. This deal is a direct attack on rural communities, the environment and our lives. Losing farmers means losing food sovereignty and placing agriculture under corporate control.

It also promotes an unsustainable food system by raising dependence on imports and exposing producers to global shocks. Farmers stress the importance of strengthening local food production to address climate change and geopolitical risks.

Beyond its content, the process surrounding the agreement has caused substantial concern: the European Commission is advancing toward the provisional implementation of the deal, whilst the legal opinion of the Court of Justice of the European Union is still pending. Farmers’ organisations in Belgium and across Europe call on policymakers to stop this undemocratic action and respect democratic processes and the voices of those most affected. They encourage citizens to contact their representatives and engage in upcoming mobilisations to protect farmers’ rights and food sovereignty.

From the haunting memory of Eldorado do Carajás to the ongoing fight against unjust trade deals, peasants across the globe raise their voices: the struggle is far from over. On this International Day of Peasant Struggles, ECVC farmers stress that defending land, livelihoods, and dignity is closely linked to building food systems rooted in agroecology and food sovereignty. This means supporting people's right to define their own food and agriculture systems, prioritising local producers, sustainable practices, and democratic control over markets and resources. Thirty years later, the spirit of those who lost their lives in Brazil lives on in every occupied land, every mobilisation, and every community defending its right to produce food with dignity.

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