When the place to touch and hold is not decided, they become useless and start to light the spark of indefinite movement, like now in indefinite movement in Kathmandu - Mohi Kisan of Swargadwari Guthi.
Mohi farmers of Guthi land in Dang have been struggling for a long time. For the past 6 weeks, they have been protesting at Maitighar in Kathmandu. Their only demand is that the tiller should own the land that has been plowed for generations.
The demand of Mohi farmers of Guthi land is justified, because the farmer who plowed, planted and grew the land for generations, simply has the right to that land. But the law of Nepal has made this issue complicated. The state and the justice system have hardened.
We must seriously think - is our life possible without farmers? If not a farmer, who will plant seeds in the hot sun by digging up lumps of soil? If there is no farmer, who will grow the grain? How can we have food on our plates? And why and how did those same farmers have to languish on the icy roads in the federal capital for months seeking the right to their land?
The right to social justice in Article 42 of the Constitution of Nepal has ensured 'every farmer has access to land for agricultural work according to the law'. Similarly, in Article 51, Sub-section (3) of the Policy on Agriculture and Land Reform under the State Policy clearly mentions the adoption of land use policy to increase the production and productivity of agriculture while protecting and promoting the rights and interests of farmers. But why the policy makers of the state are delaying the creation and amendment of the necessary laws and regulations to implement the articles of the constitution, it is not understandable.
If the farming community continues to be victimized by the state agencies in the name of guthi, birta etc. from the land they have been plowing for generations, then how will it be possible to 'protect and promote the rights of farmers'?
According to the results of the National Census 2078, 57.3 percent of the total population of Nepal (male 50.6 and female 64.8) belongs to the sector of agriculture, forestry and fisheries. But here, the rights of the farmers who are protecting agriculture as their work, Raithane culture and tradition are in confusion. Those who wanted to convert land into commodities, plotted, traded, became rich overnight.
But those who worship, love, irrigate, produce and judge the land as 'Mother Earth', instead of establishing a basis for transferring ownership of the land to them, their huts are set on fire, the portion of the land is registered in someone else's name and they are evicted. When the place of support is not decided, they become useless and start to ignite such indefinite movement, like the Mohi farmers of Swargadwari Guthi who are currently in indefinite movement in Kathmandu.
The relationship of land rights is not limited to food rights in today's changing environment. The Declaration on the Rights of Farmers and Other People Working in Rural Areas, approved by the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly on 17 December 2018 with the support of 121 countries, defines land rights as an integral part of human rights.
The right to land is also related to basic human rights in that the right to food cannot be guaranteed without access to land. Without access to habitable space, the right to secure housing cannot be guaranteed. The right to education and health cannot be guaranteed without a regular and sustainable source of income.
This declaration of the United Nations has given a clear mandate to small farmers, fishermen and fishermen working in rural areas, cattle breeders, foresters and other local communities to raise their voices, protect human rights and basic rights and provide easy access to other natural resources such as water, land, seeds and vision. Which is also supported by Nepal. In such a situation, if the farmers of Nepal are agitating, it means that the interest of the world will also increase. Therefore, it is necessary for the government to solve the problems of the farmers, even if it means amending the existing laws and regulations to ensure the rights of the farming community as soon as possible.
No one is immune to the adverse effects of climate change today. The most affected by its impact is again the same farming community. On the one hand, due to the lack of safe habitat, most of our farming communities are still farming in unsafe places after removing and maintaining the places that were shaken and damaged by the earthquake of 2072.
Due to the lack of land rights, they have been taking shelter for generations by clearing the forests and creating arable land. Especially the farming community in the middle region, the Harwa-Herdsman community who are plowing the fields of the landlord, the Mohi farmers and the farmers who are plowing the Birta fields are also in trouble. In this way, farmers who have become landless in various ways are facing more risks due to the lack of rights and ownership of land.
They are forced to live in huts with little children and old people amid the fear of wild animals. When they enter the forest to look for firewood, the park guards and wild animals are harassed and killed. Due to drought and lack of irrigation, the rate of grain yield is also decreasing in the land that has been almost destroyed. They are also seeing problems such as drying up of water sources in forests and hills, failure of fruits to grow, fires, dry landslides, etc. due to the effects of climate change. As a result, wild animals like dumsi, monkeys and wild boars have started entering the settlements in search of food, water and safe place and they are also destroying the small grain crops.
The landless farmers have not been able to access the subsidized seeds and fertilizers provided by the state. In order to earn a living and educate their children, the young generation of these landless farming families are forced to leave the country and wander in search of labor in Gulf countries and European countries.
They are forced to queue up in front of manpower to go to foreign lands to do agricultural labor without sweating in their own country. Due to the lack of land rights, they are deprived of the facilities provided by the state, and even if they produce by taking agricultural loans from banks and financial institutions, they do not have anything in the name of property to secure.
The farming community, which accounts for more than half of the country's total population, is a major contributor to the country's economic prosperity. The sweat and toil of the farmer irrigates the land, producing a store of grain. Farmers are creators, producers. They are tribal, nature worshippers. Therefore, the state must do justice to these sons and daughters of the land by giving them access to the land they have been living and cultivating for generations, no matter what they are called Guthipidit, Birtapidit, Mohi, Harwa-Cherwa, Kisan, Farmer. If the country is to be self-sufficient in food, farmers must be guaranteed the right to land.
