Food sovereignty matters to everyone because it guides us not only to have enough to eat, but also to reclaim our food ways that honor cultural traditions, to access nutrition-dense healthy food, and to build loving and respectful relationships with land, animals, fish, plants, farm workers, food workers, and fisher folk. It helps us to break away from the domination of Big Ag, Big Food and brings back the power of food to the local community everywhere!
credit: Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA)
The global Food Sovereignty movement was born through the efforts of small-hold farmers, fishers, indigenous peoples and landless workers to end global hunger and poverty. The term "food sovereignty" was first coined in 1996 by members of La Via Campesina, an international peasants' movement. Since then the concept was adopted by number of international organizations.
“Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations.”
– Declaration of Nyéléni, the first global forum on food sovereignty, Mali, 2007
Six key principles of Food Sovereignty (from US Food Sovereignty Alliance website)
FOCUSES ON FOOD FOR PEOPLE
Food sovereignty puts the right to sufficient, healthy and culturally appropriate food for all at the center of food, agriculture, livestock and fisheries policies.
VALUES FOOD PROVIDERS
Food sovereignty values all those who grow, harvest and process food, including women, family farmers, herders, fisherpeople, forest dwellers, indigenous peoples, and agricultural, migrant and fisheries workers.
BUILDS KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Food sovereignty values the sharing of local knowledge and skills that have been passed down over generations for sustainable food production free from technologies that undermine health and well-being.
LOCALIZES FOOD SYSTEMS
Food sovereignty brings food providers and consumers closer together so they can make joint decisions on food issues that benefit and protect all.
PUTS CONTROL LOCALLY
Food sovereignty respects the right of food providers to have control over their land, seeds and water and rejects the privatization of natural resources.
WORKS WITH NATURE
Food sovereignty focuses on production and harvesting methods that maximize the contribution of ecosystems, avoid costly and toxic inputs and improve the resiliency of local food systems in the face of climate change.
credit: Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA)