IATP’s commitment to take on the big issues and important fights was what first drew me to the organization many years ago. Now, as IATP’s president, I’m honored to continue that commitment. And in 2015, we are taking on big agribusiness and fighting for the kind of food and farm systems we want—now and for our children and grandchildren. 2015 is a pivotal year for many of the issues we’ve been working on for nearly 30 years, and we need your support.
In 2015, IATP will ramp up its work with allies to oppose two of the largest free trade agreements in history, TTIP and TPP, that are being negotiated in secret and Fast Track, which are projected to come to Congress in 2015. We are also working closely with European partners opposing these trade deals that put corporate interests above those of consumers, farmers, the environment and democracy.
We know the corporations want these trade deals and are pulling out all the stops to ram them through the new Congress. We need your help to give us a fighting chance.
One consequence of expanded free trade has been the unparalleled extraction of natural resources around the globe, contributing to global climate change. We can’t afford to not get climate policy right on agriculture—there’s too much at stake. In 2015, IATP is working with partners to expand and strengthen the Rural Climate Network, enabling rural-based organizations around the country to have a seat at the climate policy table. We’re also leading rural climate dialogues on the ground, to demonstrate how collaborative, action-oriented discussions on climate in rural communities around the country can be done. At the U.N. level, we’re taking on a global agribusiness’ attempt to greenwash their latest technologies, such as new GMO crops, as a solution to climate change rather than agroecological practices that empower farmers to build climate resilience.
2015 also has to become a big year for democracy. We must end the enormous influence of corporate money spent to block the work that we do. We are launching a new initiative to connect the food and farm movement to efforts to reform political spending, like the overturning of the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision. We will be exposing the role of corporate political spending on issues like blocking GMO and Country of Origin labeling, defending factory farms through confusingly named “Right to Farm” laws, and maintaining a system of underpaid food workers by beating back efforts to raise the minimum wage. Only through working together across movements can we reclaim our democracy from powerful private interests.
As you can see, we are NOT picking small skirmishes—we’re taking on the big guys. They have the deep pockets, but thankfully we have you. Any resources you can contribute makes a difference.
I know you receive a number of year-end appeals and hope you are able to give generously to all of the good work you believe so strongly in. I am inspired and extremely grateful for your support of IATP. With it, I promise that you can count on my and IATP’s tenacity, heart and determination to take on the challenges we all face, in solidarity with you.
Warm regards and sincere wishes for a New Year full of progress,
Juliette Majot
President
