In many places, people have lost traditional
knowledge of how to produce food. And because of rapidly changing conditions,
such as overcrowded communities, less fertile land, and changing weather, old
methods often no longer work. When people do not know how to produce food,
hunger and a lack of food security is the result. One solution to this problem
is to maintain, pass on, and improve knowledge through farmer field schools,
farmer to farmer education programs, and agricultural extension services.
All people have the right to food that is safe,
healthy, and culturally acceptable to them. Food sovereignty is the right to
determine our own food systems, and make sure every community has food
security. Security can be achieved only through food sovereignty — when farmers
and peasants have the right to decide what foods they produce and how much to
sell them for, and when consumers have the right to decide what they consume
and who they buy it from. In some places, Vía Campesina pressures politicians
and corporations to respond to the demands of local farmers’ unions. In other
places they support landless farmers working to reclaim unused farmlands. They
also help build local institutions that distribute food fairly to those most in
need. When a huge earthquake and tsunami
(a massive tidal wave) struck Indonesia in 2005, most of the people affected by
the disaster were farmers and fishers. Vía Campesina provided aid, but rather
than simply bringing food and other materials from outside the area, they
worked with local organizations to buy food, tools, and other materials from
local small producers. They raised important issues such as the origin of food
aid (whether it was local or imported), the way farm reconstruction would
happen (whether it promoted family based production or large food
corporations), and how to strengthen local organizations (not make them
dependent on aid).
Most of the money Vía Campesina raised was used for
long-term reconstruction, such as rebuilding houses and fishing boats, making
new tools for farmers and fishers, and restoring farm lands to production. By
focusing on the self-reliance of the people affected by the disaster, Vía
Campesina promoted not just short-term recovery, but long-term food
sovereignty.
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