United States hosts Conference on Food Sovereignty

Leonor Hurtado

17/03/2011

Opinión

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The Community Food Security Coalition held its 14th Annual Conference in New Orleans from 16 to 19 October 2010. Although it may not yet be evident, the Coalition is undergoing transformation and is beginning to establish its mission of working towards food sovereignty - the right of all people to define and control their own food and agriculture systems through democratic, ecological and sustainable means.

Present at the conference were a thousand representatives of US and Canadian organizations involved in the food industry and in sustainable food production. Over 50 workshops were held which dealt with various aspects of the Global Movement for Food Sovereignty, such as its conception, organization, methodology, participation, legislation and notably its reinforcement.

The following ideas received the most appreciation and promises of commitment and unity:

· Building true local empowerment, with no supremacy or privileges for the white population. The white population should be subject to the same conditions as the black, indigenous and Latin American populations, including all origins and cultures.

· Uniting the working class, currently dominated, exploited and oppressed by the corporations that control the food system. Hunger exists not because of insufficient food, but because the owners of food production systems seek only financial gain which in turn brings about more hunger and poverty worldwide.

· The idea that only way to succeed is to build a worldwide, social movement for food sovereignty.

The conference concluded with a reminder that the food sovereignty process should focus on regaining control and democracy regarding food and food production systems. Production methods should be sustainable and free of discrimination, producing accessible, healthy and culturally acceptable food for all.

For the second year running, the Food Sovereignty Prize was awarded to organizations making significant progress on an international level. The organizations which received honorable mention were:

The Network of West African Peasant and Agricultural Producers’ Organizations (ROPPA), which advocates the protection of peasant farming against investment, free-trade agreements, the green revolution and the occupying of land by international companies.

The Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, which carries out innovative work in promoting urban agriculture, encouraging co-operative buying habits and influencing public policy. The Network lamented the fact that an agricultural company was negotiating the “purchase” of large expanses of land to take the place of the community effort. A major part of their ongoing work is taking steps to prevent this occupation of land.

The Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty (WGIFS), a Canadian organization that advocates traditional indigenous food strategies in its territories carried out in harmony with Mother Earth. The group condemned a private energy agreement which would prevent the indigenous people from travelling, hunting and fishing freely on their reserve.

Also receiving the Prize was the group Family Farm Defenders, who work to create small-scale, consumer-oriented food systems based upon self-governed institutions. The Coalition concludes that this type of food production is the only way of reviving community economies in order to provide decent, fair and satisfactory living conditions for all. (Translated by: Janelle Alexander)

-Leonor Hurtado, Food First / Institute for Food and Development Policy

2010-10-28

https://www.alainet.org/en/articulo/148385