How do we transform the food system?
The Uruguayan Network of Native and Local Seeds ©
1. Build the movement for food sovereignty. La Vía Campesina is a global movement demanding food sovereignty, led by peasants and rural workers, and a strategic ally of Friends of the Earth International in the struggle for system change ©
2. Support agroecological transition. The Uruguayan Network of Native and Local Seeds - which includes REDES/Friends of the Earth Uruguay - played a key role in pushing for a national agroecology plan, which passed into law in December 2018 ©
Farmers preserve seeds and traditional knowledge, Mexico ©
3. Rights to land and seeds. “When communities are organised and know their land rights, it is much easier for them to fight, even when there is intimidation.” Gizela, Friends of the Earth Mozambique/JA!, who works with peasant farmers ©
4. Support family farmers, peasant farmers and fisherfolks who feed the majority of the world. A fish seller in Galicia, Spain, who buys directly from the fishermen. Friends of the Earth Spain promote small-scale, local, direct trade in healthy products, which are the backbone of Food Sovereignty ©
The “fisher to consumer”initiative in Malysia preserves fisherfolk’s income and ensures a cheaper supply of fresh, healthy protein via fish and seafood for local people ©
5. Stop agribusiness expansion. In 2014, after months of advocacy by civil society, Liberia’s President committed to support communities and protect their land from further encroachment by Equatorial Palm Oil company ©
John Muyisa, Uganda, fights against oil palm plantations that are clearing the forest and the land his community has preserved for generations ©
6. Ensure social protection. Guaranteeing fair incomes and rights for food producers and rural workers, such as Felicita Aguilar from El Salvador, is a key policy for realising Food Sovereignty ©
7. Food Sovereignty means everyone has access to healthy and culturally appropriate food, produced by just, ecological and sustainable methods ©
Food Sovereignty means people enjoying their collective right to define how food is produced, distributed and consumed, like the FOE Australia food-cop Cooperative ©
