“You decide what to eat”

                                            “You decide what to eat” 
                      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 12^th 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 

http://www.grassrootsonline.org/news/articles/food-security-food-sovereignty

 

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

http://www.waronwant.org/overseas-work/food-sovereignty

 

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/