Food Sovereignty

This is the text on food sovereignty distributed by Via Campesina during the recent social forum at Porto Alegre.

What is Food Sovereignty?

The term Food Sovereignty describes the right of populations, their states or union of states, to define their agriculture and food policies, without dumping by third countries.

Food Sovereignty includes:

priority given to local agriculture to feed the population and access for farmers and the landless to land, water, seeds and credit. Hence there is a necessity for land reforms, for the fight against the GMO (genetically modified organisms), for free access to seeds and for water to be kept as a public utility to be managed for the long term.   

the right of farmers to produce foodstuffs and the right of consumers to choose what they want to consume and how it should be produced.

the right of states to protect themselves from agricultural and food imported at a price too low.

food prices linked to production costs: this is possible on condition that states and unions of states have the right to tax imports that are priced too low, that they commit themselves to long-term production by farmers and control production in the interior markets so as to avoid structural excesses.

the participation of the population in the choice of agricultural policy.

recognition of the rights of farmers who play a major role in agriculture and food production.

Where does the idea of food sovereignty originate?

The idea of food sovereignty was developed by Via Campesina and presented for public debate at  the World Food Summit in 1996. It presents an alternative to neo-liberal policies. Since then, this idea has become a major theme in the international debate on farming, including within the United Nations. It was the leading theme in the fringe forum of NGOs at the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) World Summit on Food in June 2002.

Neo Liberal Policies are destroying Food Sovereignty.

Neo-liberal policies give priority to international trade and not to feeding populations. They have contributed nothing to the eradication of famine in the world. On the contrary, they have increased the dependence of whole nations on food imports. They have also sped up the industrialisation of agriculture, in turn threatening not only the genetic, cultural and environmental heritage of the planet, but also the peoples’ health. They have forced hundreds of millions of farmers to abandon their traditional farming practices, to flee the countryside or to emigrate.

International institutions like the IMF (International Monetary Fund), the World Bank, and the WTO (World Trade Organisation) have put into practice the policies dictated to them by the interests of the supra-national companies and the powerful. International agreements (WTO), regional agreements (AFTA, American Free Trade Agreement) or the bilateral “free” trade of farming products, facilitate the control of the world food markets by these people. The WTO is an institution wholly inadequate to deal with questions about food and agriculture. Via Campesina requires that the WTO pull out of agriculture.

The scourge of low-priced imports: dumping destroys food production.

Throughout the whole world low-priced food imports destroy local faming economies; this is the case for European milk imported into India, pork from the USA into the West Indies, meat and cereals from the European Union into Africa, cattle feed in Europe, etc… These products are exported at low prices thanks to the practice of dumping. The USA and Europe have pushed the WTO to ratify the new practice of dumping, which replaces export subsidies by a large reduction in farming prices, fixed to direct payments by the state.

It is indispensable to stop dumping in order to achieve food sovereignty!

Food Sovereignty includes a just international trade:

Food sovereignty does not oppose trade but the priority which is given to exports: it permits the guarantee of food security for the people, while at the same time permitting trade in specific products with other regions, which encourages the diversity of our planet.  A new framework is needed for these exchanges, under the auspices of the United Nations, which:  

would give priority to local or regional production before exportation,

would authorise states or unions of states to protect themselves from imports where the price is too low,

would authorise public help for farmers, as long as this does not directly lead to low-priced exports

would guarantee stability for farm prices at the international level by international agreements to control (and share?) production.

Access to international markets is not a solution for the farmer.

The problem for farmers is first and foremost the lack of access to their own local markets as they are confronted by very low prices for their products and the practice of dumping imports. Access to international markets only concerns about 10% of production world-wide; it is controlled by the supranational firms and the largest agro-industrial enterprises.

As for tropical products (coffee, bananas…) the problem is not the lack of access but the domination of the market by the internationals and prices too low for the farmers. The example of tropical products in this respect is extremely enlightening: they profit from almost free access to the countries of the North and yet the farming families of the south have gained almost nothing for themselves.

Agricultural policies must give long-term support  to farmers.

In the North as in the South, public support, by means of subsidies, credits etc., can be an important means of stimulating and maintaining a farm-based and durable food production.

If they wish to maintain their food sovereignty, the countries of the North, as well as those of the South, must be able to support their agriculture so as to guarantee the right to feed their populations, preserve the environment, develop a long-term agriculture and protect themselves from dumping. They must also be able to support their farming sector where it needs to accomplish other tasks of public interest, which may be different from one country to the other according to its cultural traditions. But at the present time the USA and the European Union in particular misuse their public support system to artificially reduce their internal market prices and practise dumping of their excesses, and so destroy the farm-based agriculture as much in the USA and  the EU as in the rest of the world.

Alliances are essential.

For a number of years Via Campesina has played a major leading role in the development of international networks which bring together social and environmental groups, development NGOs, consumers and others. From Seattle to Geneva and on to Porto Alegre, these networks have been developing propositions and strategies that are essential to stop neo-liberal policies and to develop policies of solidarity

Concrete Action

Contact the member organisations of Via Campesina to support their local and national initiatives and campaigns such as land occupations, initiatives in long-term farming production, defence of local seeds, action against the GM seeds, dumping etc…

It is also important to bring the debate to organisations such as your governments and parliaments. At the international level you can participate in the world day of farming struggles on the 17^th April.

Contacts / links

Via Campesina contacts in the regions (regional coordinators):

Central America : ASOCODE/COCOCH ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
North America : NFU ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , http://www.nfu.ca/), 
UNORCA ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , www.laneta.apc.org/unorca/ )
South America : MST ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , http://www.mst.org.br/), 
Anamuri ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , www.anamuri.cl)

Africa: UNAC ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

South East Asia: FSPI ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

South Asia: KRRS ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

West Indies: ANAP ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ), WINFA ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Europe: CPE ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , www.cpefarmers.org )

Information about Via Campesina:  www.viacampesina.org

Information abut Food Sovereignty : www.peoplesfoodsovereignty.org

For further information about the 17 April, send your e-mail address to :

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Gerard Choplin
------------------------------------
CPE
Coordination Paysanne Européenne
European Farmers Coordination
Coordinadora Campesina Europea
---  Member of Via Campesina ---
_______________________________________
Rue de la Sablonnière18-1000 Bruxelles - Belgique
Tel: +32 2 217 31 12 - fax: +32 2 218 45 09
e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Web : http://www.cpefarmers.org/