Photo: Pixabay/eliasfalla
The world has changed significantly since people began cultivating food. In many ways, we’ve become more connected as humans — we know what’s happening in other parts of the world and have more access to information than ever.
However, we’ve become more disconnected in other ways since people don’t think about where their food comes from or who produces it. That’s because it’s convenient to buy goods at stores instead of farms. However, it’s time to reconceptualize our food system by understanding the ties between farming and food sovereignty.
Food sovereignty is a concept that was developed in the 1990s by La Via Campesina, an international peasant movement. It’s based on the idea that food is a human right and that people should control their own agricultural systems. People have used food sovereignty to justify various forms of resistance to large-scale agriculture, including efforts to form local cooperatives and build community gardens.
The movement has its roots in the politics of food production, agriculture and rural development. However, it extends beyond these issues to encompass social and environmental justice concerns while promoting local economies. Food sovereignty is defined as “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,” according to La Via Campesina.
It encompasses a right to produce one’s own food as well as an entitlement for every individual or community affected by trade agreements or policies related to agricultural commodities, such as land use. The market and corporations’ demands dictate the current food system, reducing food to an international-trade commodity. Sovereignty gives people a strategy to resist an unsustainable system. Therefore, it’s led by small-scale farmers, fishers and other family food producers.
Because the food we eat is essential to our well-being, consumers should too take an interest in local produce and support their farming communities. Various ways to support local farmers involve buying their products, maintaining their practices and advocating for better laws in their communities. People can donate locally grown produce to food banks or participate in a community garden for low-income families.
Another option includes looking into community-supported agriculture programs (CSAs) in the United States. A CSA is where people pay a small upfront fee to receive weekly shares of fresh produce throughout the growing season. The CSA covers all other expenses, such as tending fields and storing crops. That way, farmers spend as little money as possible on overhead costs.
There are various ways in which farmers are involved with food sovereignty. They face many challenges, but local communities and organizations can spread awareness about the origin of the foods people consume. Once this movement catches on, locals can make a difference by sustaining an orderly agricultural food system that benefits the world.
