Food Sovereignty

“Food sovereignty is the right of peoples, communities, and countries to define their own agricultural, labor, fishing, food and land policies, which are ecologically, socially, economically and culturally appropriate to their unique circumstances. It includes the true right to food and to produce food, which means that all people have the right to safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food and to food-producing resources and the ability to sustain themselves and their societies.” –“Food Sovereignty: A Right For All, Political Statement of the NGO/CSO Forum for Food Sovereignty,“ Rome, June 2002

Our global food system is broken. Small farmers in the US and around the world cannot earn a fair price for what they raise. Meanwhile, more than 1  billion people around the world go hungry every day.

Driven by big corporations, the agricultural system no longer values healthy, delicious food, productive and sustainable rural communities or people’s right to make decisions about their communities and their farms.

The international food sovereignty movement formed to address the indignities of the current food system. It is composed of small farmers, fishers, consumers, environmentalists and indigenous peoples — all seeking to define their own agricultural, labor, fishing, food and land policies. The food sovereignty movement calls for policies that are ecologically, socially, economically and culturally appropriate for their circumstances. Communities around the world that are embracing food sovereignty are supported by the Via Campesina, an international advocacy network of small-producer organizations representing over 150 million farmers, fishers, foresters and agricultural workers on five continents.

The Principles of Food Sovereignty call for:

1. Food for People
2. Valuing Food Providers
3. Localizing Food Systems
4. Making Decisions Locally
5. Building Knowledge and Skills
6. Working with Nature

When these simple-yet-revolutionary principles are incorporated into national and international trade and agricultural policies–and when they become a visible reality in our own communities–we will know that the fight for food sovereignty has been won.

Grassroots International joins our global partners and allies as part of a growing movement for food sovereignty.