The Food Sovereignty Movement is a growing international movement that supports a community’s right to choose how and where their food is produced and what food they consume. This basic human right stands in opposition to corporate agribusiness, and family farmers and fishermen are leading the fight.
The National Family Farm Coalition is supporting this effort. They seek to rebuild a sustainable family farm system of agriculture and a safe and healthy food supply. The National Family Farm Coalition is also supporting the work of Via Campesina, an international movement of farmers and farm workers who are trying to support basic human rights for farm workers. Via Campesina represents about 200 million farmers and farm workers around the world.
Food sovereignty is a political issue, in that governments make food and agriculture policy for their countries. Many people working on this issue feel that food security is a matter of national security, and the National Family Farm Coalition is working to support a number of grass roots efforts to protect food and farm diversity and the health of the land and water.
The USFSA, the US Food Sovereignty Alliance, is another grassroots organization working to bring food sovereignty into the forefront of food and agriculture policy. They focus on local control over resources, knowledge and skills, and policy. Biodiversity and ecological farming principles are important components of the movement. USFSA is a strong alliance, with a number of smaller organizations working on similar principles.
One of the issues affecting food security in America is the aging of the experienced and educated farmer. The National Family Farm Coalition is working on this issue with a number of programs designed to educate new farmers and provide credit and mentoring programs. In addition, they provide funding for programs designed for the beginning and socially-disadvantaged new farmer.
For more information on farm planning, please contact us.
