“According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) 800 million people suffered from hunger in 1976. Nowadays that figure exceeds 1,000 million. Why?”
At the 1996 World Food Summit “food sovereignty” became a battle cry. It was here where multiple locally organized grassroots groups came together under the name La Via Campesina (the way of the peasant) and brought forth a simple suggestion to address the food shortage crisis that continues today. By developing local communities and ending a reliance on global food markets these individual localities could most effectively fight hunger and poverty in their communities. The following video addresses this struggle.
Rudolph Steiner, the father of biodynamic farming said,
“I have always considered what the peasants and farmers thought about their things far wiser than what the scientists were thinking. I have invariably found it wiser, and I do so to-day. Far rather would I listen to what is said of his own experiences in a chance conversation, by one who works directly on the soil, than to all the Ahrimanic statistics that issue from our learned science. I have always been glad when I could listen to such things, for I have always found them extremely wise, while, as to science — in its practical effects and conduct I have found it very stupid.”
I hope the words of the peasant farmer activists in the preceding video highlights the realities of this Steiner quote. Food sovereignty is about growing and consuming food that is healthy and culturally relevant to the population of a certain geographic location, and with techniques that are sustainable within that climate. It puts local producers and farmers at the center of the food system, rather than relying on global corporations. Global corporations have proven themselves poorly suited to resolving the issue of hunger around the world, and their tactics have led to the destruction of ecosystems and local economies. Food sovereignty empowers the local population to become self-directed and utilize their own skills and resources for the advancement of themselves and not the advancements of a company’s bottom line profits.
“Here our way of fighting is to reappropriate the means of production.”
In many countries the attempts to fight the corporate takeover of peasant lands has had success although it has mostly been limited. The power many global corporations wield allows for their interests to ‘speak’ louder than the interests of the people. In our country Monsanto stand as clear example of the influence that a global corporation can have. Through the revolving door in Washington DC, Michael Taylor was appointed in 2010 by Obama as a senior adviser for the FDA. Taylor had formerly served as a vice president for Monsanto. This previous position at Monsanto should highlight the clear conflict of interest that exists for Taylor in his position.
Without anyone in Washington DC batting at the plate for us local farmers we will continue to fight an uphill battle in this country. The problems that face our community and many others like it could be greatly aided with a few changes in Washington DC, but at Lick Run we are not waiting for a top down change. We can’t recall the last time a career politician came to Lick Run to pick up trash, weed the grow beds, or grab a shovel and get in the dirt.
Come on out and talk with us if you want to learn more about what Lick Run is doing to promote food sovereignty and how you can help fight the good fight.