In Colombia, only 26% of rural women own the land they cultivate, despite constituting 40% of the agricultural workforce. These women, organized through Fensuagro and similar groups, champion a peasant and popular feminism rooted in collective struggle and solidarity to attain food sovereignty and confront patriarchal and neoliberal oppression.
In Colombia, a mere 26% of rural women own the land they cultivate, highlighting their precarious position within the agricultural sector. Despite this, Colombian peasant women, through organizations like the National Unitary Agricultural Trade Union Federation (Fensuagro), are at the forefront of a movement advocating for peasant and popular feminism, which seeks to empower women through solidarity and collective action based on their connection to the land.
These women significantly contribute to food production, generating nearly half of the nation’s agricultural output. They act as custodians of essential resources such as native seeds and water, while also preserving ancestral wisdom. Their role is crucial for ensuring food sovereignty, which involves not just the right to cultivate but also resisting the encroachment of agribusiness that often forcibly displaces rural populations, particularly women.
Fensuagro asserts, “Peasant and popular feminism is women’s struggle for land, for water, for the right to live with dignity.” This movement directly confronts both patriarchal structures and the neoliberal frameworks that jeopardize the livelihoods of rural women. It serves as a countermeasure to the multifaceted oppression they encounter, including land dispossession and violence.
The collective efforts of these women are significant, given that while they comprise 40% of the agricultural workforce, their land ownership remains strikingly low. Through initiatives such as popular education and agricultural cooperatives, they have forged pathways for building community leadership and enhancing political engagement.
From regions like the Cauca Mountains to the Amazon, organized peasant women are leading various initiatives, including peasant markets and land restitution campaigns. Their work transcends personal struggles, advocating for broader transformations in agricultural and social structures.
La Vía Campesina encapsulates this sentiment by stating, “With feminism, there is food sovereignty.” Through their endeavors in safeguarding seeds and advocating for their rights, these rural women underscore the importance of feminism in shaping the future of Colombia’s countryside.
This article highlights the significant contributions of rural women in Colombia, their struggles for land ownership, and the intersection of their fight with broader issues of social justice and gender equity. Despite facing systemic challenges, these women are redefining agrarian and societal norms through collective action and advocacy. Their efforts embody the principles of peasant and popular feminism, which are vital for achieving food sovereignty and transforming rural life in Colombia.
Original Source: viacampesina.org
