"Call to ensure rights, welfare of toiling people", 30 March 2020

In a joint statement issued...the groups stressed that the rural people were among the most vulnerable to impacts of COVID-19 pandemic. The statement was released to mark the annual ‘Day of the Landless’, which various groups use to highlight the issues and struggles of peasant communities. The statement was endorsed by three organizations of Nepal — All Nepal Peasants’ Federation, Community Self Reliance Centre and National Campaign for Sustainable Development. 

According to the organisations, the extreme quarantine measures have also shut down in some cases, even local marketplaces where small farmers often bring and sell their produce. As a consequence, even when they are allowed to till and harvest, hapless farmers are left with truckloads of unsold grains, vegetables and fruits.

Specifically, the groups outlined a five-point demand to protect the rights of rural people amid the pandemic.They demanded that governments ensure the lockdowns and quarantines are not carried out at the expense of the food security of the people, and that the right to produce and earn a living for small farmers, fishermen and other direct food producers is duly respected. 

They also called on for immediate and substantial economic relief (including food grains, cash, and other forms of aid that are essential and appropriate) and social protection that are readily accessible to the marginalized sectors...