La Souverainete Alimentaire en francais ici
La Soberanía Alimentaria en espanol aqui
Via Campesina's Seven Principles of Food Sovereignty
Food sovereignty is a term originally coined by members of Via Campesina in 1996 as an alternative policy framework to food security. Unlike food security which is basically a technical question of providing adequate human nutrition, food sovereignty defends the right of farmers, eaters, and their communities to an economically just, culturally appropriate and ecologically sustainable food system under local democratic control.
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Family Farm Defenders Opposes Corporate Takeover of the Earth’s Biodiversity
Supports Farmer Allies in Haiti as They Defend Their Food Sovereignty by Rejecting Monsanto’s Seeds
As part of a Via Campesina’s call for international solidarity in defense of food sovereignty, Family Farm Defenders in the United States wishes to express its strong support for the Peasant Movement of Papay (MPP) and other farmer allies in Haiti as they take direct action on June 4th, World Environment Day, to rid their country of unwanted chemically treated hybrid seeds imported by Monsanto. To read the full press release click here
Via Campesina Statement to the UN General Assembly on The Global Food Crisis and the Right to Food - 4/6/09 in New York City
By Mr. Henry Saragih, General Coordinator of La Via Campesina
Dear Mr. Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr.President of the United Nations General Assembly, Chair of the High-Level Task Force on Food Security, Mr. Olivier de Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Distinguished Delegates, and
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I welcome this Interactive Thematic Dialogue in our global effort in responding to the food crisis. Our dialogue in this chamber is of particular importance for those of us who believe that humankind has the courage and ability to make global governance work for all. Indeed, the food crisis gives us all an opportunity to do something without delay. The food crisis poses a massive threat to humankind. Everyday, significant parts of society around the world suffer directly or indirectly because of the food crisis. La Via Campesina, an international peasant movement, has been working to address the situation globally, with our members in 70 countries—this figure includes over 200 million members worldwide. Given the nature of our movement, undoubtedly the situation of peasants was put high on our agenda. The role of the United Nations in making human rights mechanisms work is particularly important in this respect. I follow carefully how UN Special Rapporteur has progressively shifted the focus of the food crisis from a development-centered model to a rights based concept: a global food crisis is a threat to the right to adequate food. It was thus a historic moment when Mr. Olivier De Schutter emphasized this in the UN Human Rights Council’s session on the food crisis on May 22, 2008. To read more, click here.
