This is a CTP of initiative: La Via Campesina/RMRU (Uruguay)
In 2005, the RMRU was invited to participate in a School of political formation for peasant women in the Southern Cone. This proposal was promoted by the Chilean Association of Rural and Indigenous Women (ANAMURI) and was attended by different organizations from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay.
This experience was carried out over several years in which different activities were carried out in different countries and with the participation in each case of members of the same peasant organizations. The modality implemented was of participative workshops where they worked on the peasant problematic at regional level, environmental conflicts and capitalism, feminism and food sovereignty, etc.
"The workshops, besides developing the theoretical study, were a space to unify the debate around common issues; An important moment for exchange of experiences between the different movements and countries; A space to discuss and deepen the methodologies and strategies of training in the different countries."
One of the requirements established for participation in this training process was that each organization would always send the same people so that they could continue the learning process. Thus, in the case of the RMRU, the people selected to participate in the Training School were responsible for transmitting to the rest of the network members what they had learned.
When the training cycle was concluded, ANAMURI, as organizer of the whole activity, prepared a document for all participating organizations to endorse the whole process. For the RMRU, participation in this Training School was a key milestone in its trajectory because it marked a change in its agenda of concerns and meant a change of strategy towards the future.
The RMRU's participation in the Political Training School generated a co-production process in which the organization expanded its network of regional relations at the same time as its work agenda became radicalized.
The discourse and concrete actions of the network began to be more critical with the socio-productive changes experienced in Uruguay. So it began to strongly question the progress of transgenic crops and critics were expressed against the installation of new industries such as cellulosic. Likewise, the discourse incorporated critical expressions towards capitalism.
"[...] The training course for women over the years made it possible for us to discuss and share the major issues that involve societies, made it possible to study and reflect on the situation of peasant and indigenous women, The most exploited among the exploited, we work the question of gender and class, to understand that it is not a struggle against peasants and indigenous men, is a struggle against the capitalist system ..."
This positioning of the RMRU coincided with the incorporation of transgenic crops in Uruguay and the advance of the forestry sector associated with the pulp industry. On the other hand, the fact that only some of the members of the network were those who participated in the entire training cycle, caused an internal differentiation in the organization. The people who represented the RMRU strengthened their position within the organization thus creating tensions and some conflicts.
The political training school for rural women in the Southern Cone took place in a specific political context related to the consolidation of progressive governments in different countries of South America. In this way, a strong critique of neoliberalism was put at the center of the public debate.
In this sense, Uruguayan social movements began to identify as part of a wider collective space. In 2005 (when the political training school started), the 2005 Summit of the Americas was held in Mar del Plata (Argentina), in which the leaders of the countries of South America (Hugo Chávez de Venezuela, Lula Da Silva of Brazil, Néstor Kirchner of Argentina and Tabaré Vázquez of Uruguay) prevented progress in a Free Trade Agreement at the continental level (FTAA).
During that meeting, a parallel summit was held, known as the Peoples' Summit, in which the problems experienced by peasant populations in the region were raised, and how the FTAA could affect their lives. As a result of these relationships, the RMRU agreed to the possibility of being incorporated into Via Campesina. Done that took place in the World Conference of the organization in the city of Maputo (Mozambique).
In those years, Uruguay was immersed in the middle of a series of environmental conflicts that opened the possibility of discussing the productive model in force in the country. The most significant of these conflicts was the one that faced the Uruguayan government with the Argentine for the installation of a cellulosic plant in the border between both countries.
The conditions established by ANAMURI as the organizer of the Political Training School for rural women in the Southern Cone created an internal conflict in the RMRU. The rules stated that each participating organization should always send the same persons to all school activities during its three years. This situation created a problem for the RMRU referents because they had to decide who would be the representatives of the network.
Many members of the RMRU disagreed with the format proposed by the organizers of the school as they thought that the participation of the largest number of people should be encouraged in the training process. Finally, it was resolved to comply with established standards, although with strong resistance.
On the other hand, the participation of the RMRU in the school of political formation caused a radicalization of the discourse of the network that incorporated a critical (anti-capitalist) discourse. This radicalization of discourse also had resistance within the organization.
The School of Political Training for Peasant Women in the Southern Cone had other training backgrounds in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. The first of these is the experience of the Southern Cone Course for the Formation of Grassroots Leaders, which began in 1998 and was held for many years in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil and then developed in different regions and countries of South America. At the same time, the "Training Course for Peasant Women in South America" ??was held at the initiative of the Chilean Association of Rural and Indigenous Women (ANAMURI).
In the case of the RMRU, the invitation to participate in the Training School was quite unexpected. Although the network has nearly 20 years of life, its link with other organizations was not very important until then. In addition, the RMRU dealt with other types of problems that did not coincide with that developed by peasant organizations.
ANAMURI was their status as women's organization. Even the problems associated with the use of transgenics or changes in the production system have not yet been seen by the RMRU referents.
The referents of the RMRU recognize their participation in the School of Political Training was a very rich experience in terms of learning. The accumulated experience during the years of the school allowed to accumulate new knowledge and capacities.
Above all, the incorporation of tools that allowed the organization to have greater influence to generate changes in public policies at the local and national level is highlighted. It also incorporated new strategies aimed at raising awareness of the problems affecting rural women, such as poor access to health, lack of opportunities for young people, and negative environmental effects of transgenic production.
The RMRU referents also emphasize that participation in the school of political training allowed them to stipulate that their problems were shared by other women in other countries and that it was necessary to move forward in a regional strategy.
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