Food sovereignty

The following text comes from a summary of a literature review on food sovereignty by Marie-Camille Théorêt. You can read their full literature review HERE.

What is food sovereignty?

The basic accepted definition is found in the 2007 Nyéléni Declaration produced by La Via Campesina. This definition focuses on the rights of farmers/consumers and local communities to determine their food systems and control the resources needed to produce (like land, water and seeds). The Nyéléni Declaration was based on 6 pillars: valuing food providers; localizing food systems; making decisions locally; building knowledge and skills; working with nature. Then, Indigenous peoples added a seventh pillar, which is that food is sacred.

Within food sovereignty are the concepts of “agroecology” and “food democracy”. Agroecology means practicing agriculture in harmony with the environment and the community. Food democracy refers to the inclusion of public and local participation in food sovereignty projects. An example of food democracy is how actors of the movement use categories (e.g. Indigenous people, fishers, women) and quotas to ensure diversity in the conversations and debates. Because food sovereignty now includes a high number of intersections, it sometimes mixes experiences together to join forces. Specific issues, such as issues related to gender, are sometimes forgotten in the movement and how it's defined.

Origin and current status

Food sovereignty originated in the 1990s from the international agrarian movement called La Via Campesina (LVC). It emerged in reaction to the negative impacts of the global agricultural system such as rural poverty, hunger, displacement, and damage to the environment. Global agriculture is shaped by “neoliberalism”. The economic system of neoliberalism refers to low governmental control on industries (like agriculture), tax cuts, reduction of public spending and inclusion in the international system. A consequence of this is that farmers and consumers have fewer options over what is produced, how it produced.

Current agriculture under neoliberalism damages the environment and creates about 1/3 of global greenhouse emissions. It pushes for a monoculture-farming model that results in a loss of biodiversity. In other words, the current food system only centers around a few crops instead of using all of the food diversity on this planet . The negative impacts of the global food system tend to impact more directly countries hit the hardest by injustices and the climate crisis. Also, current agriculture adds to the already-existing exploitation. A lot of farm workers are working in difficult conditions, and the land they are using is tired. It is this mix of bad working conditions and abuse of lands that drives the food sovereignty movement. 

Originally, food sovereignty was in opposition to national powers because of their alliance with the global food system. Yet, governments have a lot of control over agricultural regulations. So, their role in food sovereignty stays important and should be analyzed.

 

Over the past centuries, Indigenous traditional food systems have been almost erased through government policies. An example of this is how the Canadian and American governments put in place projects to assimilate and disrupt their traditional ways of life. On top of this, climate change impacts Indigenous food systems. The decline of sea ice in the Arctic and the change in plant and animal populations are part of these impacts.9 So, Indigenous communities believe in food sovereignty projects that have the goal of building stronger communities and are respectful of the environment. Food is seen as a social factor instead of only a source of money.

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