Language and written expression IV
Tiva Roxana Karina
Teacher: Stella Maris Saubidet Oyhamburu
I.S.F.D 41
Food sovereignty is a movement growing from the
bottom up, from the farmers, fishers, indigenous peoples and landless workers
most impacted by global hunger and poverty. Food
Sovereignty includes the true right to food and to produce food. It has grown
into a powerful movement that will lead to more just and ecological food and
farming systems, new democratic decision-making in governments and new
international market cooperation aimed at fair prices for farmers. First
framed
by
the international
peasant movement La Via Campesina at the World
Food Summit in 1996, food sovereignty is rooted in the ongoing global struggles
over control of food, land, water, and livelihoods. A central struggle and rally of food
sovereignty is born out of the fundamental ‘right to have rights.’ Food security and food sovereignty, although often used
interchangeably, are considerably different concepts. The notion of food sovereignty is supported in the
refusal of farmers, peasants and other food producers and civic organizations
to see their domestic food markets subject to the vagaries of international
market forces. It is now an increasingly used concept in the development debate
seeking more control over food production, trade, and consumption.
Via Campesina describes itself as "an
international movement which coordinates peasant organizations of small and
middle-scale producers, agricultural workers, rural women, and indigenous
communities from Asia, Africa, America, and Europe". It is a coalition of
over 148 organizations, advocating family-farm-based sustainable agriculture
and was the group that first coined the term "food sovereignty". Food
sovereignty refers to the right to produce food on one's own territory. Via
Campesina has carried out several campaigns including a campaign to defend
farmer's seeds, a campaign to stop violence against women, a campaign for the
recognition of the rights of peasants, a Global Campaign for agrarian reform,
and others. La Via Campesina has been developing a new concept of agrarian
reform that recognizes the socio-environmental aspects of land, the sea and
natural resources, in the context of food sovereignty. Integral agrarian reform
encompasses policies of redistribution, just, equitable access and control of
natural, social and productive resources.
Political efforts to advance food sovereingty are
rooted in the inherent rights that all peasants, farmers , men and women
posses, as defined in the Declaration of the Rights of Peasants: right to life
and to an adequate standard of living, right to land and territory, right to
seeds and traditional agricultural knowledge and practice, right to means of
agricultural production, right to determine price and market for agricultural
production, right information and agriculture technology, right biological
diversity, right to preserve the enviroment, freedoms of association, opinion
and expression and right to have access to justice.
Food sovereingnty
is different from food security in both approach and politics. Food distinguish where food comes from, or the conditions
under which it is produced and distributed. National
food security targets are often met by sourcing food produced under
environmentally destructive and exploitative conditions, and supported by
subsidies and policies that destroy local food producers but benefit
agribusiness corporations.
Food sovereignty emphasizes
ecologically appropriate production, distribution and consumption,
social-economic justice and local food systems as ways to tackle hunger and
poverty and guarantee sustainable food security for all peoples. It advocates
trade and investment that serve the collective aspirations of society. It
promotes community control of productive resources; agrarian reform and tenure
security for small-scale producers; agro-ecology; biodiversity; local
knowledge; the rights of peasants, women, indigenous peoples and workers;
social protection and climate justice.
Works cited
Wikipedia the free enciclopedia, Food
Sovereignty. Retrieved on 30th. October 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_sovereignty
Amber Attalla, September 12th 2012,
Coffee Kids, Food Sovereignty vs. Food Security: Is there a difference?. Retrieved on 29th. October 2014 from http://www.coffeekids.org/food-sovereignty-vs-food-security-is-there-a-difference/
From food Security to Food Sovereignty, Civil Eats. Retrieved on 30th. October 2014 http://civileats.com/2013/05/29/from-food-security-to-food-sovereignty/
Antonio Roman-Alcalá, May 31st 2013, Grass roots International, From food Security to Food Sovereignty. Retrieved on 30th. October 2014 from
Wikipedia the free enciclopedia, Via Campesina,
Retrieved on 30th. October 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Campesina
War on Want, Food Sovereignty. Retrieved on 29th. October 2014 from
Glopolis, Food Sovereignty as a way
to achieve food security. Retrieved on 29th. October 2014 http://glopolis.org/en/articles/food-sovereignty-way-achieve-food-security/
La Via Campesina.Research and
support for innovation must be at the service of an agricultural model and food
system that is healthy, sustainable and socially fair, Wednesday, 29 October
2014. Retrieved on 30th. October 2014 from http://viacampesina.org/en/
