Agrarian reform in the context of food sovereignty, the right to food and cultural diversity : land, territory and dignity

Monsalve, Sofia ... [et al.]

In this paper, which provides a civil society perspective on agrarian reform and rural development, we develop the concept of food sovereignty as an overarching framework or paradigm. Food sovereignty essentially defines the policy package that would be needed so that policies of agrarian reform and rural development might truly reduce poverty, protect the environment, and enhance broad based, inclusive economic development. The most fundamental pillars of food sovereignty include the recognition and enforcement of the right to food and the right to land; the right of each nation or people to define their own agricultural and food policies, respecting the right of indigenous peoples to their territories, the rights of traditional fisherfolk to fishing areas, etc.; a retreat from free trade policies, with a concurrent greater prioritization of production of food for local and national markets, and an end to dumping; genuine agrarian reform; and peasant based sustainable, or agroecological, agricultural practices.

Event: A vision for the future : International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development

Document type:Agrarian reform in the context of food sovereignty, the right to food and cultural diversity : land, territory and dignity (249 kB - pdf)