What do you understand by New Peasant Movements

Form a last few years there is a new form of peasant movement that is New Peasant/farmers movement is in trend. More than a traditional struggle this struggle covers large number of new issues like-

i. Women empowerments,

ii. Ecology,

iii. Nuclear disarmament; and

iv. Human rights

These movements are new for some specific reasons. Like

They address the larger issues like development, deprivation, economy, terms of trade, urban versus rural etc.

Their activism is not confined to rural area alone, lather they stand for the broader alliances cutting across the state and the nations;

They address those issues which are common to all the categories of peasantry like remunerative prices, debts, loans, electricity supply and also the larger issues like the consequences of globalization or liberalization on the life of rural population in particular countries in general.

These movements believe in unity among different categories, irrespective of social set ups or milieus.

Unlike the previous peasant movements in India or elsewhere these movements avoid the notions of radicalism or violence as the core of their strategy, although in one or two instances they have resorted to violence to oppose the entry of multinationals or globalization.