Access to food: Landless peasants demand reforms to ensure food security

Experts argue malnutrition crossed emergency threshold of 15% in Sindh.

THATTA:

Hundreds of peasants, as part of an effort to urge lawmakers to oppose land concentration policies, demanded their right to land to ensure livelihood and food security.

During a rally in Thatta in front of the press club on Friday, participants carrying banners in favour of their right to land resources argued that landlessness has created malnutrition and poverty in several parts of the province.

"All development efforts will be useless unless one of the basic causes of poverty and food insecurity is addressed by securing land rights, especially for women," said National Peasants Coalition of Pakistan general secretary Noor Nabi Rahojo. "This is the only viable solution to save Sindh from malnutrition and hunger," said Rahojo.

Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment CEO Tanveer Arif said that land is one of the most important sources for the poor in rural areas to earn sustainable livelihood. "The drought-like situation in Tharparkar is related to climate change," said Arif, adding that the landlords depend on rain. He said that the situation in Achhro Thar is different from Tharparkar.

He informed the rally members that Pakistan is facing acute rural poverty and food insecurity because its massive rural population is landless labour without proper legal cover, while the country's political and administrative system is dominated by powerful feudal lords, who have been dodging past efforts at land reforms.

He said that many government and independent surveys have indicated that malnutrition in Sindh has crossed the emergency threshold of 15 per cent of the population and it requires public policy to address the situation.

The participants said that Tharparkar-like situation could occur in barrage areas if peasants are not given access to land.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2014.