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Food Sovereignty: Land, Water & Seeds Presbyterian Hunger Program. PEC: Ethical Earth Care! Andrew Kang Bartlett October 2013. Myriad Possible Entry Points. Why start from hunger? Nearly a billion go hungry Over a billion overeat Global Food/Farm System largest impact - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Food Sovereignty: Land, Water & Seeds
Presbyterian Hunger Program
PEC: Ethical Earth Care!Andrew Kang Bartlett
October 2013
Myriad Possible Entry Points
• Why start from hunger?• Nearly a billion go hungry• Over a billion overeat• Global Food/Farm System largest impact• Greatest moral problem we face
Poverty & Hunger• Approximately 3
billion living on less than $2 per day
• 1.3 billion of these live on $1 or less per day
• Most impoverished people are farmers, fishers & others who rely on agriculture
• Family farmers feed 70% of world
No food shortage
Food production has kept up with population growth so far
• The challenge will be to keep apace with population in the future
• And by 2030, we may need about 50% more food production
Where do the crops go?
LIVESTOCK & AGROFUELS
More than 1/3rd of grain produced in the world goes to livestock
US: 38% of corn crop used for ethanol (4.3 Billion bushels)
Remainder for food to eat
Modern-dayslavery & exploitation
Horrible conditions
Low pay, wage theft& dead end jobs
Corporate Control &Shaping of Policies
Industrial Agriculture’s Impact
» Petroleum-intensive (1/3)» Corporate-shaped policies =
overproduction & export/import» Environmental damage (largest)» Disease ($100-270 billion per year in
U.S.) - Sahtouris
Eating is central
• Eating is where we interface daily and directly with planetary/biological system (i.e. God’s creation)
• Air, water & food critical to life• Air (grace), sunshine (grace), water
(grace), food (grace, sweat and radah--skilled mastery )
What might God’s food system look like?
Food for all ~• Healthy and life-giving nutrition• Produced ecologically• Eaten in gratitude and with joy• Responsive in times of critical shortages
and famines• Produced and shared in ways that
ensure future generations can feed themselves
Food Security
Food Security views hunger as a lack of food and advocates for more production, increased government aid, and encourages voluntary, charitable donation.
Congregation and community-based feeding programs, food banks & large programmatic and sometimes education/advocacy non-profits
Food Security
• Food security is about access to safe and healthy food, but doesn’t take into account the social & environmental impacts of how and by whom the food is produced, processed and marketed.
• Food sovereignty is bringing about a new paradigm. . .
Systems Thinking
We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. ~ Albert Einstein
Must move from binary, linear thinking to systems thinking
Dominant Food SystemCorporate Mandate & Greed
Economic Exploita-
tion
Consoli-dated Power
Power to Shape Policy
Loss of Family Farms
Control of Seeds,
Inputs & Land
Environ-mental
Degrada-tion
Food Sovereignty Democratizing the food system
People’s right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right
to define their own food and agriculture systems.
In Food Sovereignty…• Farmers receive a fair price, and
farmworkers and food chain workers are paid and treated well
• 1st priority is to produce, store and distribute for local consumption, not as commodity on the global market
• Producers and communities maintain control over land, water, seeds and other resources
Food Sovereignty
Food Sovereignty views hunger as a problem related to control of food systems. In Food Sovereignty, resources and policies focus on returning decision-making & control of food systems to people, communities, regions and nations.
PHP & increasing #s of US groups; social movements, mostly agrarian, largely from the Global South & alliances (USFSA)
Problem
Pam, a 13-year-old living on Market and 41st
Barack, a 4-year-old in rural Cameroon
_________, a concerned person of faith
Food Sovereignty• Farmers receive a fair price, and
farmworkers and food chain workers are paid and treated well
• Food is stored and distributed for local consumption and not traded as a commodity
• Producers and communities maintain control over land, water, seeds and other resources
Problem
Pam, a 13-year-old living on Market and 41st
(or in a shrinking rural town 30 miles from a supermarket)
Environmental Sustainability- reduced transport cost- reduced cold storage- reduced packaging- sustainable urban design (heat
island effect, storm water, resource conservation)
Stewardship of Land- family farmers retain farm and
land- urban sprawl limited land
remains in the hands of people- vacant plots used for food and
beauty
Community & Quality of Life- greater sense of place- different generations working
together- bringing beauty to
neighborhoods
Local Economic Activity- circulating local dollars (multiplier
effect)- employment & job training- small farm businesses are relatively
easy to start
Food Justice- right to fresh foods by all
residents- elimination of food deserts- taking back control (democracy)- justice for farm workers and other
workers in the food system
Problem
Barack, a 4-year-old in rural Cameroon
The Battle for the Future of Agriculture
Africa is the battleground
Green Revolution in Africaversus
Agroecological Food Production
Food security or food sovereignty?
Enough Food
• No lack of food on our planet, and farmers can grow even more if they get support
• But the question is how to ensure a fair distribution of the food? Also, who will produce the food that the world needs?
CAMEROON
• Recurrent food crises in northern Cameroon
• Food aid and speculation take place, increasing vulnerability for thousands of families
Cameroon
• RELUFA worked with groups affected by hunger and created granaries to store food in villages
• People now have food with dignity not only in times of scarcity, but anytime during the year
Impact of food sovereignty in Cameroon
• System helps break speculation; food (and seed) is now available in the communities all though the year
• Gave voice to local groups
Impact of food sovereignty in Cameroon
• The program allowed parents to focus not only on food, but on education for their children and other family needs
Impact of Food Sovereignty program in Cameroon
Communities are now mobilizing to move to the next step and have their voices heard in agricultural policy choices
The Battle for the Future of Agriculture
Green Revolution in Africaversus
Agroecological Food Production
New “Green” Revolution for Africa
» Promoting high-tech, industrial agriculture model:» Biotechnology (GMOs), hybrid seeds
requiring irrigation, fertilizer, pesticides» Productivity seriously drops when
complete (expensive) package not available
Agroecological Food Production
» Sustainable and organic approaches
» Conservation farming» Sustainable fishing» Support needed to scale up
Meta-study compared data from nearly 100 studies of conventional and sustainable/organic agriculture, concluded: • worldwide switch to organics
could increase global food production by as much as 50%
-- enough to feed a population of 9 billion people without any additional land
• Confirms earlier research: 2003 peer-reviewed analysis of 208 projects (with almost 9 million farmers) in over 50 developing countries found a 93% increase in food production when farmers switched to sustainable methods.
Problem
________, a concerned person of faith
Apply a systems approach
Pam, a 13-year-old living on Market and 41st
Barack, a 4-year-old in rural Cameroon
•Social theater, political, community assets, relationships, ownership, power dynamics, money, biological, animals, micro-organisms, consciousness…
Problem
Pam, a 13-year-old living on Market and 41st
Barack, a 4-year-old in rural Cameroon
What perspectives aren’t included in addressing problems that systems thinking could contribute? Come up with at least one new approach…
Build Alternatives and Resist:Create, play, build, grow locally & JOIN in solidarity with people around the U.S. + world
US Food Sovereignty Alliance * www.usfoodsovereigntyalliance.org
• Inner work to align with God/the Source (yoga, silence, running…)
• Find kindred spirits, dedicate time to develop relationships (eat together, worship, laugh a lot, show up for each other…)
• Community work to strengthen web of connections, make interdependence obvious (timebank, group work…)
• Find your gifts & share them• Follow your bliss
Food Sovereignty
Democratizing the food system
People’s right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right
to define their own food and agriculture systems.
Food SovereigntyStrategies
• 1) Connect with social movements (e.g. Via Campesina) and organize
• 2) Build local food economies here and everywhere
Food SovereigntyStrategies
• 3) Create policy climate so sustainable food systems can grow (trade, debt, ag policy)
• 4) Resist forces that perpetuate destructive, unjust industrial food system (anti-trust/corporate control)
Food Sovereignty Connections
• 1) WCC/PWE: Life-Giving Agriculture
• 2) Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance: Food for Life Campaign
• 3) Covenanting for Justice: Economic links around poverty & exploitation…
• 4) Strong Social Movements – peasant, enviro, health, food systems
Food Sovereignty Connections
• 5) Climate Change/Environmental Impact: Food is a top priority
• 6) Food Sovereignty is at the nexus of hunger, land/water stewardship, environment, local control, and justice
• 7) Central to Christian mission: If you care about people, food and hunger is central to one’s witness
From Understanding to Caring- God’s creation as sacred- regaining agrarian values and
behaviors
2013 PHP VISTAs
• Gina (national focus), Todd, Amber & Emily (Louisville)
• Elise, Ilana & Whitney in Indianapolis
• Casey in Cincinnati