Building a European movement for food sovereignty

"Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations." Nyeleni Declaration, February 2007

With the explosion of food prices, the enduring food crisis has become global and has finally put the question of food on the political agenda across Europe. In Europe and globally we face the ecological and social crisis of the current model of food production, which destroys sustainable family farming and replaces it with corporate-controlled industrial agriculture.

As a consequence, a handfull of transnational corporations are increasing their profits at an unimaginable pace, while an ever increasing number of people in the South and the North are starving, malnourished or are overconsuming junk food.

A new model of food production is needed, if we want to ensure that today's food needs and those of future generations can be satisfied, while taking into account the contribution of the current agricultural model on climate change and its dependence on scare resources such as oil in the future.

We thus commit ourselves to work together respecting each other identities and specificities to build a European movement for food sovereignty.

We commit ourselves to the followings steps forwards in the coming months:

  • Creating an e-mail list for all people working on food sovereignty in Europe. This list can include all organizations committed to food sovereignty and who can subscribe to the Nyéléni statement (see in annex);

  • Using the 17th of April (Global day of Peasants Struggles) and the 16th of October (World Food Day) as date for joint mobilizations around Europe for food sovereignty;

  • Working together towards a European Forum for food sovereignty in late 2009 or early 2010.

  • Ensuring a strong presence and visibility of the food sovereignty movement in the anti-G8, anti-WTO/FTA and Climate Justice mobilizations in 2009; and

  • Struggling together against agrofuel and for energy sovereignty.

To sign this call, please send an e-mail to info@nyeleni.eu

First signatories:

European Coordination Via Campesina
Friends of the Earth Europe
European Coordination of World March of Women
ATTAC Germany
ATTAC Austria
ASEED Europe
Latinamerikagrupperna (Solidarity Sweden-Latin America)
Vredeseilanden, Belgium
Terra Nueva, Italy
Agribusiness Accountability Initiative Europe
Food and Water Watch
IATP
ÖBV – Via Campesina Austria