Take Action, Join Us

If you are an individual —

The protests in India may feel far away. But the farmers and farmworkers leading the demonstrations are calling for justice, fair livelihoods, and a voice in their futures - values that are close to home for all of us. Add your name in solidarity with all those calling for fair livelihoods and human rights.

If you are a brand or organization —

If you work in the intersection of social, climate, and economic justice, sign onto this statement solidarity in support of the farmers' right to protest and condemning the human rights violations taking place.

 A Statement of Solidarity with India’s Farmers and Farmworkers

Tens of thousands of small farmers and farmworkers in India are leading the largest protest in history to fight for economic, social, and food justice.

We stand in solidarity with them and condemn the government-sanctioned violence and human rights violations being carried out by Prime Minister Modi’s government as a means to suppress dissent and independent journalism. The farmers are currently protesting three new agricultural bills that threaten to decimate their livelihoods.

In September 2020, the Indian government undemocratically passed three new agricultural bills that deregulate and privatize India’s agricultural industry by dismantling minimum support prices for crops, removing restrictions on the purchase of land by corporations, and removing limits on stockpiling commodities. Agriculture is the primary source of income for over half of India’s population, 81% of whom are farming on two acres or less (1). With no safety net, small farmers are vulnerable to being undercut by large corporations, ultimately unable to sustain themselves or their communities (2). 

By prioritizing corporations over people and the planet, these unjust laws further environmental degradation and economic oppression that is rooted in casteism and religious hegemony.

Dalit farm laborers continue to suffer from caste-based governmental oppression as well as abuse and harassment within farming communities. The vast majority of landowners and farmers in Punjab are Sikhs, who have historically faced religious persecution (3) and suffered from decades of anti-farmer policies, insurmountable debt from a forced dependence on agrichemicals, and the highest cancer rates in the country. In 2019, a reported 10,281 farmers died by suicide in India, though the exact number is likely understated (4).  

Over 250 million people have peacefully protested these oppressive ordinances. These protests are as much about land rights as they are about human rights in a country grappling with deeply rooted nationalism. Protestors are being painted as terrorists by state-owned news outlets and are being met with government-sanctioned police brutality, tear gas, and water cannons. Over a hundred protestors have disappeared at the hands of the police in the last week alone. Citizen journalists are being unlawfully arrested and detained for reporting on police brutality or voicing support for the farmers (5). The police have attempted to cut off access to food and water at protest sites to starve the protestors away. The Internet has been cut off in the area surrounding protest sites and social media is being heavily regulated to make communication amongst protestors and access to outside information more difficult. The UN has made clear that cutting internet connections as a means to stifle dissent is a violation of human rights (6). Yet even in the face of this oppression, the farmers continue to tirelessly fight for their right to be heard and survive. 

The role of a democratic government is to not silence dissent, but rather to listen. The right to protest is fundamental in any democracy (7).

Small farmers are too often exploited in our global food and farming systems. As advocates for an equitable and just economy rooted in community, we stand in solidarity with India’s small farmers and farmworkers who are tirelessly fighting against exploitative, unjust agricultural laws. We support their right to organize and protest, a pillar of accountability in any healthy democracy. We also call on our elected officials and the broader global justice community to condemn ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by Prime Minister Modi’s government and support the farmers’ right to protest.

This letter was co-authored by:

Fair World Project

Manpreet Kalra, Art of Citizenry 

Jasmine Marwaha, J.D.

This letter is signed by:

350NYC

A Fair Trade World

Alter Eco

Anchal Project

Awamaki

Bad Activist Collective

Bryr Clogs

Cafe Mam

Canadian Fair Trade Network

Chicago Fair Trade

Conscious Chatter

Dean's Beans Organic Coffee Company

Dr. Bronner

EBCLC

Equal Exchange

ESJ

Fair Anita

Fair Trade Federation

Fair Trade Winds

Fashion of Tomorrow

Global GiftsGreen America

grey jays jewelry

Grow Ahead

JusTea

Justice for Society Magazine

Kahiniwalla Ltd.

Koru Street

LAUDE the Label

LifeWay Network

Maggie's Organics

Malia Designs

Mara Hoffman

Mata Traders

MZ

NYC Fair Trade Coalition

Pachamama Coffee Cooperative of Small Scale Coffee Producers

Pachamama Market

Pais Agency

Palm + Perkins

Passion Lilie

Provender Alliance

Reclaim Collaborative

Roopa Pemmaraju

Rover & Kin

Soie Clothing

Stick & Ball

Sustainable Fashion Alliance

The Chapter House

The Cura Co.

The Onikas

tonlé

Treasures

Tulia's Artisan Gallery

Virgil LLC

Wind & Echo

WorldFinds

Zuahaza

References:

(1) Agriculture Census Indian Experience, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

(2) Peeling Back the Layers of Punjab’s Green Revolution, Art of Citizenry. January 8, 2021.

(3) History shows Punjab has always taken on tyrants. Modi is no different, Washington Post. December 16, 2020.

(4) ‘The Lockdown Killed My Father’: Farmer Suicides Add to India’s Virus Misery, New York Times. September 8, 2020.

(5) Indian Authorities Lash Out at Protests: Government Quashing Basic Freedoms; Politicized Institutions Given Free Rein, Human Rights Watch. February 2, 2021.

(6) UN Expert Welcomes Landmark Protection for Online Assembly, United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner. July 26, 2020.

(7)  How do you define lawful peaceful protest? The UN Human Rights Committee has a clear answer, United Nations News. July 29, 2020.