October 17, 2011
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Press Release
Women small farmers from Latin America claim their rights at a
“photo activism” protest in eight cities in the continent
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Among other demands, women call for investments in small farming and land
access opportunities
The protest is part of Oxfam’s GROW international campaign, which focuses on
food access
Women small farmers from Paraguay, Peru, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala and the
Dominican Republic took part in a “photo activism” protest last week to remind authorities of the continent and
the international community of their proposals and claims in the context of the International Day of Rural
Women (October 15) and the World Food Day (October 16).
Women gathered at public squares in major cities in these countries, where they took a picture of themselves
holding a banner that shows one part of a statement that will only be complete once the eight pictures taken in
these different countries are put together: “We, women, transform the world, work the land, produce food
and demand land, investments, recognition and justice. Our fight GROWS”.
Women food producers
Women producers have been traditionally excluded. While it is true that rural sectors in Latin American
countries are typically the poorest, the situation is a lot worse in the case of women. In Colombia, for
example, female heads of household in rural areas only receive 41% of the income received by men in
the same areas. In Honduras, 29% of the rural population is illiterate, with the highest illiteracy rates found
among women older than 35. According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), the illiteracy rate for
urban women is 9.8, compared to 25.7 for rural women. “Let’s get organized, because being organized allows
us to acquire knowledge we can use both at home and in society. We are worthy and have the capacity to
make decisions and hold opinions. Now we can participate in organizations. Getting organized leads to better
living conditions. Getting organized helps us achieve objectives or goals,” says Orfilia Quintanilla, member of
the executive board of the Agricultural Products Fair of San Marcos (Honduras) Committee.
A significant increase in investments in women small farmers and shepherdesses is required to
empower rural women and increase the food security of households, communities and whole countries.
“But even if these investments are made, it is likely they won’t be enough to bridge the gender gap in
agriculture, support production, increase food security and empower women. States must also take into
account low literacy rates, laws and discriminatory practices that have an impact on land ownership,
inheritance rights, access to financial services and information, the availability of appropriate social services in
rural communities, and constant violence against women”, says Ana Eugenia Marín, the coordinator of Oxfam’s
GROW campaign for Central America and the Caribbean,.
“Despite our contribution to the economy of our households and domestic food production, we have the highest
poverty and illiteracy rates. We are the victims of violence, our health is precarious and our work is
undervalued, as only 4.7% of rural women producers have land deeds”, says Lourdes Huanca, President of the
National Federation of Peasant, Artisan, Native and Working Women of Peru (Femucarinap). “We’re not
begging for gifts; we are claiming our right to decent work, food security and sovereignty, and a life free
of gender violence”, she said.
Increased access to land ownership
Latin America is one of the regions with the highest levels of land concentration, one of the main causes of
inequality in the region. The problem is worse in the case of women. In Peru, for example, while official figures
show that women account for 20.3% of producers, they only own 4.7% of farmlands. Paraguay, on the other
hand, is the most extreme case of land concentration: 83.5% of farming operations are conducted in small plots
that account for less than 5% of the nation’s farmlands, compared to more than 95% of land owned by large
farmers.
In Guatemala, only 8% of small-scale farmlands are owned by rural women. “Depriving women from land
ownership is a form of violence against them. The same applies to lack of access to decent housing. This
means our rights are being violated by the State. If we are denied access to education, our rights are being
violated; if we are denied access to health care, our rights are being violated; if we are denied access to food,
our rights are being violated,” says Senaida Cosagua, of the Committee of Peasant Unity (CUC) of the
community of San Basilio (Guatemala).
According to PRISMA’s report on gender and land ownership in El Salvador, the agrarian reform in this
country only benefited 11.7% of women small farmers in its initial phase, and 10.5% in the third one.
“We should be allowed to own land just like men, because we’re smart and know how to cultivate it. For
example, what do we need to move forward in this stage of our process, that is, family orchards (a technical
assistance and productive project for women)? Just a small patch of land to grow those orchards and secure
access to healthy foods,” says Ana Cecilia Ramírez, of the Salvadoran municipality of Chalatenango.
Women share the same concern about land concentration, an old phenomenon in some countries but a
reemerging one in others. In countries like Colombia, where a debate around comprehensive laws is currently
underway, the proposal is for women to also benefit from land adjudication processes. “Women’s claims should
be heard all throughout the region,” says Asier Hernando, coordinator of the GROW campaign in South
America, “not only because it is their right, but because they have a thorough knowledge of the reality of
rural areas and a clear understanding of the things that must be changed to reduce poverty and secure
sustainable food production”.
For further information:
You can download the final collage of eight images and individual images from:
http://www.4shared.com/folder/bvtfvpUZ/15oct_-_Mujeres_Rurales_FOTO_F.html
Note to editor:
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According to FAO, if women had access to the same resources as men, they could increase their
production by 20-30%, and an additional 100-150 million people could be fed. In other words, if the rights of
women small producers were respected, there would be a 2.5–4% increase in agricultural production in
developing countries, and a reduction of between 12 and 17% in malnutrition in the world, simply as a result
of leveling the playfield between men and women.
Women work between 14 and 16 hours a day doing household chores and taking care of their families, in
addition to animal husbandry and food production and processing activities.
Women farmers are often the main producers of subsistence crops, the ones in charge of fetching water
and firewood for their families, and organizers and leaders in their communities.
600 million people in the world experience hunger and have increasingly less access to water and land
ownership. Weak public policies focusing on women farmers, or the absence thereof, expose them to the
effects of floods and droughts, and force them to migrate to large cities and work longer hours to increase
their income.
Media contact:
Ivan M. García
Media contact in CAMEXCA’s campaigns team
E-mail: ivanmunoz@oxfammexico.org
Cell phone No..: (0052 - 1) 553 883 4999
Skype: ivanmgarcia77
Twitter: ivanmgarcia77
Oxfam México
Alabama 105, Colonia Nápoles, Delegación Benito Juárez
C.P. 03810, México D.F.
Tel. No.: (0052) 55 5687 3002