CRD 20 Final Exam, Question 1
CRD 20 Final Exam, Question 1
CRD 20 Final Exam, Question 1
Jamie Hall
CRD 20
Final Exam, Question #1
December 6, 2010
"Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to define their own food and agriculture; to protect and regulate
domestic agricultural production and trade in order to achieve sustainable development objectives; to determine the
extent to which they want to be self reliant; to restrict the dumping of products in their markets; and to provide local
fisheries-based communities the priority in managing the use of and the rights to aquatic resources. Food sovereignty
does not negate trade, but rather, it promotes the formulation of trade policies and practices that serve the rights of
peoples to safe, healthy and ecologically sustainable production." -"Statement on Peoples' Food Sovereignty" by Via
Campesina, et al.
The term “sustainability” has many definitions but this paper will seek to
demonstrate that sustainability in the food system is a learning process rather than a goal
or perfected “end state”. To participate in sustainable cycles and processes we must learn
a way of existing in the world that facilitates the harmonious balance between social,
environmental, and economic issues while pursuing values and ideals that help to sustain
that state of being. Two large-scale proposals aimed at increasing sustainability in the
food system are food sovereignty and decentralization. Both of these proposals would
begin to solve the complicated global issues surrounding agricultural pollution, power
food system. Food sovereignty would accomplish this by defining sets of values that
govern structural change while decentralization would readjust governing bodies to local
levels allowing for specific and relevant policies to be made on the community level. In
order for these large-scale proposals to work, societal structure will have to change
fundamentally. Although these proposals cannot perfect the world we live in, they can
communities for the better, thereby facilitating a hopeful setting to rebalance what has
The term “food sovereignty” was coined through ”La Via Campesina” movement. La
Via Campesina translates to “The peasant way”, and the philosophy of the movement
includes “the right of nations and peoples to control their own food systems, including
their own markets, production modes, food cultures and environments” (Martinez-Torres,
Rosset) (Galt) As a pluralistic, autonomous movement that rose in response to the WTO
and FTAA, food sovereignty seeks to protect natural resources. By valuing healthy soils
and the reduced use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, this movement will
sustainably conserve land, water, seed and bio-diversity. This can be accomplished
through achieving freedom from restrictive markets and laws that perpetuate harmful
practices. (Galt) (Saragih) In order to attain freedom from restrictive markets and other
concentration must be addressed. This means that decentralization will become key. “The
retailers, not by farmers” (Levins) By removing control from the top and allowing for a
uphold specific, value based regulations with less influence from political and market
driven forces.
The food sovereignty movement can directly address power inequalities in society
through the understanding that the social control of markets must change. Also, more
importantly that food is a basic human right. “Food sovereignty is about an end to all
forms of violence against women” (Patel 2010:124) As well as an end of all forms of
violence, oppression and marginalization against indigenous peoples, poor people, ethnic
minorities or small farmers. (Galt) Through Agrarian reform policies, Food sovereignty
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seeks to empower people with access to food that is healthy and nourishing while giving
people fundamental land ownership and growing rights free of all forms of
discrimination. “They believe that low prices are the worst force that farmers face
everywhere in the world, and therefore that we need to effectively ban dumping, apply
large agro-export countries, and eliminate the kinds of direct and in-direct, open and
hidden subsidies that enforce low prices and overproduction.” (Martinez-Torres, Rosset)
“Everyone has the right to honest, accurate information and open and democratic
society will be key. Decentralization can accomplish this, while also handing power back
level of the community, large corporations can no longer control food; it’s production,
distribution and disposal. Communities may have their own difficulties in power
inequalities, however the power structures that define what we eat will be removed and
our freedom to choose where our food comes from will be enforced. This can be
problematic, however, because of unforeseen structural issues. The question that remains
Food Sovereignty also directly addresses the problems involved in the consumption
of meat. The industrialized meat industry is a system that is majorly responsible for
global warming. It is a system that exploits its workers, tortures animals in horrible
conditions, wastes energy, damages and pollutes our bodies and environments because of
its reliance on large amounts of petroleum, water and land. By focusing on protecting
natural resources, Food Sovereignty movement wouldn’t allow for the industrialized
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respected luxury, rather than a cheap expectation. The conditions of labor forces would
change. It would allow for the local control of natural resources involved in the
Decentralization addresses problems in the meat industry as well. By taking power from
control over their food consumption choices, the production and consumption of meat
will become a community decision based on specified ideals. This means that some
communities will choose to produce meat in ways that will put small farmers in control.
This can potentially be safer for the consumer because consuming meat safely in the
current industrial conditions is abysmal. (Schlosser) The question then is, who will
regulate?
Biodiversity, health and safety are important parts of food sovereignty. If we are to
be free of buying and growing seeds that are genetically modified, let alone eating
genetically modified foods, we will be growing the healthiest and best foods for our
and safe food. Because Genetic Engineering is potentially damaging to our bodies and
environments, food sovereignty would change these practices by requiring labels on,
and/or banning genetically engineered foods. Decentralization will follow similar patterns
by forcing genetic engineering to be labeled and/or banned while lifting the “veil” off of
the genetically modified foods that are currently available on the market.
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By reorganizing food trade through the understanding that food must be practiced
through self-sufficiency and local production methods, the use of fossil fuels will be
influence from the top, the energy crisis can be solved. Communities can prioritize local
food growth, transportation and self-sufficiency. This can create healthier soils and
environments, healthier bodies and minds. In the film “The power of community: how
Cuba survived peak oil”, Cuba is shown to have struggled through the crisis of
developing methods of living with 80% less oil than normal. The purpose of this film is
to show that Cuba solved some of the complicated problems involved in restructuring and
rethinking the need for fossil fuels. Through community development, organic farming
practices and necessary lifestyle changes that were more ecologically sound, Cuba
become self-sufficient. This is important because “peak oil” is a problem that the world
will face in the next hundred years. If we learn from what Cuba already went through,
perhaps we will be prepared to deal with the required alternative energies and developing
How can social movements effect billion dollar industries that have a strangle hold on
government policies that support and perpetuate damaging practices? How can these
defining social and moral values while assigning these values to movements geared
toward changing these systems. However, in order for individuals to create movements
that change systems, people must first understanding the power structures involved.
movements that will influence policy changes that can help to decentralize the damaging
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powerful sectors responsible for these problems and corporations can be given financial
these problems at a local level, effectively changing wasteful practices into more
sustainable processes.
binaries and setting the course for oppositional states of existence. The important thing is
to try and understand all the pieces that fit together. Food Sovereignty and
process. We must ask ourselves what we have in common and how we can come together
to solve these huge problems. If these food movements have to do with being against the
exploitation of people and the environment, then being able to see the grand vision of our
ideals, of the ideal future and being able to implement analysis necessary to facilitate
change, will be our saving grace. In this way, community based action working for niche
solutions can have the ripple effects large enough to produce a global impact. This is how
we must move forward with such complicated problems. By having hope, leading and