Food sovereignty

A Growing Culture describes food sovereignty in their organization's vision, as the following: "Healthy, accessible, and culturally appropriate food is a human right. Living wages, living environments, living traditions are human rights. Dignity. Diversity. Culture. All human rights. These are the bedrock of the food sovereignty movement."

La Via Campesina definition of food sovereignty 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 definition is based on 6 pillars: valuing food providers; localizing food systems; making decisions locally; building knowledge and skills; working with nature. 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.

The knowledge included in the next sections comes from:

A webinar on Indigenous food sovereignty and community led research hosted by Research for the Frontlines, featuring Tiffany Traverse and Waba Moko.

An instagram post on abolition and food justice by Rania El Mugammar, artist, abolitionist, social justice educator and consultant.

A summary of a literature review on food sovereignty by Marie-Camille Théorêt. You can read their full literature review HERE.

Food sovereignty is a climate justice issue

1. Natural disasters disproportionately harm disabled people	Structural barriers become a matter of life or death during disaster.  [Paraphrased] People with disabilities are 2-4x more likely to die during disasters. Why is that? One of the things you learn is we are forgotten. We aren't part of planning conversations, disaster preparedness. We aren't talking about what happens when the best laid plans go wrong. We aren't part of the conversation in planning for disasters. So when we talk about climate, we see again that we're forgotten. People with disabilities aren't mentioned in plans at all. Countries are neglecting their obligations to fulfill the rights of disabled folks in response to the climate crisis. When we look at smaller conversations about planning for disaster, plus the larger conversations about climate justice, we aren't included. [Paraphrased] As a multiply marginalized person, we don't get invitations to join conversations. The fact that the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies exists says a lot, that things are changing, but we have to keep pushing. Specific examples include: "Some members of the disability community are especially vulnerable to extreme heat events due to increased sensitivity to keeping our body temperatures cool enough." -Tiffany Yu Natural disaster can cut electricity, "which is especially problematic because so many disabled people need electricity-powered medical equipment to survive." -Tiffany Yu Droughts and flooding cause food and water insecurity. "Because of other social factors like the disproportionate number of disabled people who are caught in an endless poverty cycle, the disability community is especially vulnerable during these shortages." -Tiffany Yu Disabled people may be unable to evacuate from disaster and/or may lose "critical mobility and accessibility devices (wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, canes, hearing aids, communication devices)." -Tiffany Yu Post-disaster, "the prospect of rebuilding a home that had been built around an individual disability can also be daunting and expensive ― particularly considering disabled workers typically earn significantly less than their able-bodied counterparts." -Jenavieve Hatch for Huffington Post
2. Disabled people are marginalized and are equally deserving of liberation	80% of disabled people live in the Global South, regions most impacted by the climate crisis and exploitation. "From homeless encampments to local jail cells, the social, political, and economic disparities among disabled queer and trans people of colour put our communities at the frontlines of ecological disaster.” -Patty Berne Disabled people are not 'hoarding resources' or 'draining the system', two phrases often used to demonize disabled people for collecting disability benefits. The ultra-rich benefit from blaming disabled bodies, while they continue to benefit from the system.
3. Systems of oppression are intersectional and best addressed by leadership of the most impacted	[Paraphrased] You can't separate identities from a person. We can't separate these systems of oppression. We recognize none of us are free unless we're all free. Disability justice provides a framework for creating inclusive resistance movements that support other movements by resisting these intersecting systems of oppression. It's not like we can say 'I'm only going to fight ableism' and ignore white supremacy. They're all connected. It's not going to be climate justice if we don't prioritize the needs of the most impacted. Some of the most marginalized folks are multiply marginalized disabled folks. We know we have to prioritize their leadership. This is one key way to effectively resist. Disabled folks know what it's like to resist these systems, and our solutions are pretty bad-ass. We are some of the best problem solvers because we have to go through it day in and day out. Disability justice is migrant justice. "Climate change is accelerating forced migration at a time when disabled people find it increasingly difficult to cross borders — not simply because of the physical demands, but also because of political opposition." -Julia Watts Belser Disabled people may be unable to enter countries because their diagnosis or condition is considered 'burdensome'. -Julia Watts Belser Migrants may struggle to access the services they need (health services and long-term medical, financial, and social support). -Tiffany Yu The oppressive conditions we’re living in can be disabling themselves. For example... Chronic stress can be disabling. Neurodivergent people (ADHD, dyslexia, autism, anxiety) are more likely than neurotypical people to experience physical health problems.  Racism can be disabling (e.g. Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old black child, experienced a brain injury after being shot by a racist white man). Colonialism can be disabling (e.g. Aamijiwnaang First Nation has been impacted by settler colonialism, capitalism and environmental racism. Over 60 petrochemical facilities can be found within a 25 km2 area. Community members face high rates of cancer, respiratory illness and reproductive health issues). Living in poverty can be disabling. It significantly increases the likelihood of developing chronic or acute health problems (e.g. limited access to healthy foods, shelter, clean air and water, chronic stress etc).
4. Environmental racism and natural disasters cause disabilities	"If we ask ourselves why Black and brown communities have higher rates of asthma, we also must look at where they live." -Daphne Frias for Stanford Social Innovation Review. Injuries obtained living through a natural disaster (e.g. earthquakes, hurricanes etc) or from being exposed to toxic chemicals (e.g. Mercury, see environmental racism) may cause acute or chronic disability.
5. Eco-ableism reinforces oppression	"Prioritizing personal ownership of environmental impacts over corporate responsibility fuels ableism and discrimination toward people with disabilities."-Daphne Frias See our eco-ableism section of ableism for examples. Disability is one of the first forgotten or first attacked experiences when discussing climate accountability or solutions. It's important to recognize disabled people caring for their needs are not to blame for the climate crisis. True accountability lies in those hoarding resources and wealth (the ultra rich).
6. There can be no climate justice without addressing immediate survival needs	"Disabled people are so busy just surviving. We have to self advocate all the time for access to employment, education, benefits or healthcare. It means unless there is a flood at my door I’m not thinking about the climate so much. We need to get people out of poverty because you can’t do anything about the climate if you are completely ostracised from participating in regular life.” -Pauline Castres "When issues like discrimination, access to adequate healthcare, unemployment, and poverty are among our top concerns, climate change tends to be an afterthought. When we are fighting for basic human rights and equality, how do we have time to think about climate change? Being concerned about and fighting for climate justice is a privilege." -Tiffany Yu
7. 'Survival of the fittest' is an oppressive mindset	Accepting the loss of some lives to the climate crisis as 'inevitable' is oppressive. "We aren't just talking about physical vulnerability; ableism, racism, class inequality and other forms of oppression work together to compound and intensify risk." -Julia Watts Belser Access to wealth makes it easier to evacuate, and white supremacy translates "into the political clout and communal resources that make climate disruptions more survivable in the first place — better infrastructure, less exposure to environmental hazards and more robust public assistance during and after crisis." -Julia Watts Belser We all deserve to have our needs met on a planet that has enough resources, but that are hoarded by a minority. Capitalism describes disabled individuals as a drain on our resources. In contrast, it is capitalism that drains us, and drains the earth's resources.

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.

 

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. 

Further resources

• A Growing Culture offers several written and visual resources related to food justice and sovereignty. See https://www.agrowingculture.org/ for more.

If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.

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