Nyéléni Newsletter no 51 – Grassroots solutions to the global food crisis
In 2008, numerous experts -– from peasants to policy makers – warned of a “perfect storm” of crises in the industrial food system. Our movements had already been raising the alarm about growing corporate control, financialization of food, resource grabbing, economic injustice, and destruction of the territories of small-scale food producers by large scale commodity agriculture, deeply dependent on fossil fuels and other mined inputs. Fifteen years later we see that crises are a recurrent phenomenon in the capitalist food system. Intensifying environmental impacts, resource wars and conflicts, rising debt, structural injustices and inequalities are compounding the effects on our peoples.
Food sovereignty remains our answer to the food crisis. Now more than ever our communities and countries need to focus on agroecological food production. As this edition shows, we have a multitude of praxis and political proposals for solutions, but we need to build our power to fight the extractive and profit driven corporations from overtaking our food system. The food crisis is one aspect of deeper drivers that are causing overlapping crises of ecological destruction, the re-enforced rise of patriarchy, and increasing criminalisation of rights defenders s in collusion with capital, who are pervading every aspect of our lives from food to social engagements and our interactions with nature.
Many movements have made common cause to challenge the drivers of these multiple, interconnected crises, including demands for climate justice, an end to fossil fuels with responsibility lying first within the historically polluting developed nations and then with elite consumers everywhere, cancellations of illegitimate debt, and rescinding unjust trade investment and tax regimes. Feminist movements are showing us the path towards economies of life and care, intersectional justice and building political power. Anti-racist, decolonial, peace and all anti-oppression movements are showing us new imaginaries of community, reminding us of our ancient practices of togetherness as peasants, women, indigenous peoples, pastoralists, fishers and workers, and the urgency of solidarity with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
Knowing that we must build and strengthen our movements from the ground up, and find cohesion across all regions and peoples facing injustice, we are convening the Nyéléni process 2021 – 2025 to provide spaces for coming together. We invite all movements to join us.
Food Sovereignty now!
AFSA, Focus on the Global South and FoEI
Click here to download the English edition (pdf)