39
Violence and land conflicts among and with farmers in 2006
This report is issue no. 39 of LCHR's Land & Farmers series. The report shows farmers' conditions and the size of violence they face because of agrarian lands. The report aims to crystallize a view about how to protect our agricultural wealth and guarantee farmers' rights to safe farming and decent living, as they are the ones who produce our food and are the first to be effected by policy changes especially those related to the free market and trade liberalization that have led to the deterioration of their economic and social conditions.
The report presents the problems of the Egyptian agriculture, mainly because off the small size of land possessions, rarity of irrigation water, the dependence of many areas on the flooding technique in irrigation and the weakness of investment in the agrarian sector.
Then the report presents the developments on the international level related to the liberalization of agriculture, showing the results of the ministerial conference held in DAFUS last January that have concluded continuing the Doha negotiations leading to US and EU promises to support farmers in the South, guarantee justice of competition among farmers in the free market and guarantee importing South crops into the Northern markets without any obstacles.
Then the report shows the developments of the Egypt EU partnership signed in March 2007 "European Neighborhood Policy". The EU has set a sum of 12 billion Euros to be presented to the Mediterranean countries as funds for developmental programs and plans.
The Egyptian agriculture still suffers from many problems because of the cancellation of subsidies, which make it harder for Egyptian products to compete in European markets.
The report discusses how could Egypt take advantage of the technical aid program provided by the EU in order for its products to have access to the European markets, develop the agrarian sector and improve farmers' conditions.
Despite that the cancellation off subsidizing agrarian production requirements, the liberalization of crop markets and land rental values have led to the eviction off hundreds of thousands of tenants out of their lands, the agrarian sector still contributes with about 20% of the national income and 34% of the total manpower in Egypt are included in it represented by 5.206 million workers.
Then the report shows the deterioration of the conditions of the cooperative movement and the monopoly of some agrarian companies over the market, as only one company buys about 30% of the total amount of produced cotton, and the market policies have led to the ruin of more than 1.5 million feddans in the Valley and the Delta.
Then the report presents the most important problems that farmers faced in 2006, like bad, banned and expired pesticides that have entered the country because of corruption, also bad fertilizers that have led to the deterioration of the Egyptian soil, and farmers' suffering from the increasing prices and rarity of certain agrarian production requirements.
The report also presents farmers' problems with the bank for development and agrarian trust, as more than 100 thousand farmers are unable to payback their debts because of the high interests and corruption of the bank's employees, as there is one farmer who had a loan of 39 thousand pounds that has reached now 222 thousand pounds. The bank officials also refuse to implement the President's decision to re-tabulate these debts without any new interests, which have led to farmers' protests in front of the bank branches in Monofeya, El Wady El Gedeed, Luxur, Qena, Ismaileya and Giza.
Then the report presents the problems of sugarcane, cotton, wheat, palm tree and corn farmers, especially concerning the decayed seeds that government has provided them with, the absence of guidance and the refusal off companies and governmental bodies to receive their crops with the agreed prices. This has made many of these farmers protest and send their complaints to the Egyptian President, especially after the Ministries of Agriculture and Social Solidarity have refused to support them and protect their rights.
Then the report presents farmers' problems with irrigation water because of not cleaning waterways, some lands have no access to water and the water that reaches some area is polluted with drainage water. This has led to many farmer protests in Fayoum, Daqahleya, Menya, Behira and Alexandria demanding that their lands have access to clean and adequate water, clean waterways and stop dumping industrial wastes in them.
Then the report shows the deterioration on the veterinary services in the Egyptian countryside and its effects on the animal and poultry wealth especially after the spread of the bird flu, thrush fever and skin diseases, and the necessity to develop the veterinary sector to face such disasters.
The report indicates that the year 2006 has witnessed an increase in the poverty rates and deterioration in the conditions of many sectors like education, health, potable water, drainage systems and housing.
Then the report presents some of the violent events that took place in 2006 because of land ownership, inheritance, land borders, irrigation water, stealing crops … etc. these conflicts have led to the death of 92 farmers, the injury of 257 and the arrest of 465 others. The report also presents the newspaper coverage of these conflicts.
Then the report presents issues of conflict over land ownership between farmers and governmental institutions, like the endowment and agrarian reform corporations.
Then the report presents some results and recommendations to improve the agrarian sector and guarantee farmers' rights, like:
· The necessity to issue a new legislation to protect the right to safe land possession.
· Cancel the debts of the farmers who are not able to pay them back or drop part of their debts.
· Allow the farmers to own the lands that they are farming by paying their values on long-term installments.
· Enable farmers of establishing independent agrarian associations.
· Adopt alternative policies and programs to improve the agrarian sector and protect natural resources.
LCHR calls all CSOs to work together for the development of the Egyptian countryside and the protection of agrarian wealth to guarantee people's right to live freely and safely.
The full report will be published on our website as soon as we finish the translation.