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What is food sovereignty?

Maria Mies: The Subsistence Perspective
Transcription of a video by O. Ressler, recorded in Cologne, Germany, 26 min., 2005 download 4 page pdf version

Ecofeminism and the subsistence perspective: fostering cooperation, not competition"
Ecofeminism sees parallels between the exploitation of nature and the exploitation of women, parallels that are understood in the context of patriarchy. One particularly vigorous ecofeminist analysis stems from the work of Claudia von Werlhof and Maria Mies." more

Protecting local Rice: from Farida Akhter, UBINIG, Bangladesh:
A press statement of the Week of Preservation of Local Variety Rice, 2009: ‘Save our farmers and agriculture from harmful technologies.’ The goal of the week was to focus on "the great richness of the varieties of local rice and the need to preserve these varieties." The second, "Let us celebrate Chaitra Sangkranti" by Farida's colleague Farhad Mazhar, is an interesting discussion at the end of the year in the Bengali calendar, on the importance of holidays and the foods associated with them.
Each report is 2 pages long, in pdf format.

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Women, globalization and food

"Women's work and women's lives all over the world have long been intertwined with food. In every country on every continent, it is women who assume primary responsibility for preparing and serving meals for themselves and their families... It's clear that women have a lot to do with food. But do they really?"

See Women & the Economy's site for good introductory information on women and the food industry, and women workers in the global food chain.

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The New York Community Gardens as Seen by a Berlin Activist
(pdf download 6 pages)

A paper by WLOE executive committee member Dr. Elisabeth Meyer-Renschhausen, Berlin. Presented August 11, 2006 at the American Community Gardening Association Conference in Los Angeles, CA

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Women's Statement on Hunger and Food Sovereignty to the NGO Forum, June 11, 2002

"We women, from various continents, representing countries of the South and the North, demand the right to be free from hunger for every woman, man and child. We ask for the right to govern our livelihoods, and to have access and maintain control over our lands, waters, seeds, and all resources which are basic to our and our communities needs..."
Read full statement at:
http://www.poptel.org.uk/panap/latest/wfs3.htm

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Women and food: women grow it
Women produce 80 percent of the food consumed in Africa, 65 percent in Asia and 45 percent in Latin America.

"Women hold the key to ending hunger in the world's poorest communities, yet in most developing countries they still sow, water, weed, harvest and process their crops by hand, and their share of land resources and mechanized farm implements remains negligible."
-- Thelma Awori, International Herald Tribune, 27 November 1998.

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What is "organic" food?

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Genetically engineered food: do we need it?

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Stop “for-profit foods”, starting with high fructose corn syrup

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Links

Seed Saver Network http://www.seedsavers.net/
"Our Seeds" Documentary Film
Seed Savers has produced a one hour documentary “Our Seeds: Seeds Blong Yumi” that celebrates traditional food plants and the people that grow them. The film introduces those who stand at the source of humanity’s diverse food heritage.

Frances Moore Lappé On How We Can End Hunger On A Penny A Day
Article in treehugger, May 2009

Navdanya

"Navdanya started as a program of the Research Foundation for science, Technology and Ecology (RFSTE), a participatory research initiative founded by world-renowned scientist and environmentalist Dr. Vandana Shiva, to provide direction and support to environmental activism.

1984 was the year of the Punjab Violence and the Bhopal tragedy. This violence demanded a paradigm shift in the practice of agriculture. Navdanya was born of this search for nonviolent farming, which protects biodiversity, the Earth and our small farmers.

Navdanya means nine crops that represent India's collective source of food security. The main aim of the Navdanya biodiversity conservation programme is to support local farmers, rescue and conserve crops and plants that are being pushed to extinction and make them available through direct marketing.

Navdanya is actively involved in the rejuvenation of indigenous knowledge and culture. It has created awareness on the hazards of genetic negineering, defended people's knowledge from biopiracy and food rights in the face of globalisation.

It has its own seed bank and organic farm spread over an ares of 20 acres in Uttranchal, north India."

For information and groups working on food quality, protection of family farms:
The O'Mama Report: This site has a wealth of information on organic food, children's health, and links to other sites.
See: http://www.theorganicreport.com/pages/24_connection.cfm

 

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Farm Aid: This site features information on family farms, and offers help to farmers trying to stay on the land.

"Like most Americans, family farmers are concerned about the impact of chemicals on our soil, water, food supply, and health. Family farmers drink the water beneath their fields, eat the food they produce, and live on the land they farm. Farm Aid supports the efforts of family farmers who are leading the way in developing environmentally friendly farming methods which will ensure a healthy food supply for future generations."