We will not let ProSavana to invade our land and colonize us!
Ana Paula Taucale, peasant in Nampula
Province and member of UNAC (União
Nacional de Camponeses), Mozam-
bique.
The government of my country has grant-
ed large portions of land for large-scale
agriculture for exports, in the Nacala Cor-
ridor, involving Brazil and Japan. We,
peasants of the area oppose this project
and see it as an invasion that will drive to
large land grabs.
There is already evidence of the effects
of land grabbing in that area (Northern
Mozambique) on the peasants communi-
ties, and particularly on women. In Nam-
pula province, were I live and have my
plot, women are being prevented from
passing in the areas where the foreign
companies operate. We cannot access
firewood, gather wild foods or harvest
roots to use as medicines for our fami-
lies. In itself this is a clear violation of the
Mozambique Law of the Land. The Law
requires that community be consulted
to grant lands to companies, thus giv-
ing communities the right to refuse, as in
cases where such land granting implies
the abuse of their rights.
We reject this land-grabbing and we re-
ject the model of agriculture the ProSa-
vana program represents. We will do ev-
erything we can to stop it.
We as UNAC, together with other organi-
zations in the country, have launched in
June the National Campaign STOP Pro-
Savana. We want to bring this campaign
at international level - civil society organ-
isations in Brazil and Japan have already
joined us - and we want to activate legal
mechanisms at national and United Na-
tions level, to give greater responsibility
to those operating the ProSavana pro-
gram, for the damage they might cause
to the peasants communities in Mozam-
bique.
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