Food Sovereignty: An Economically, Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Solution to the Food Crisis

Many of us in the academic and policy world undervalue the input of small and mid sized producers and the organizations that represent them when we look for solutions to our current food and energy problems, and instead rely on scientific and technological "quick fixes" coming from government and big business. Yet history has shown us that such an approach usually fails. In my presentation I will look to the potential for small and mid sized farmers in both rural and urban areas to address our food needs. I will define what farmers movements and their allies in the rest of civil society mean by "food sovereignty", and explain why this is a superior approach to addressing hunger and poverty than the solution being proposed by big business and many governments and international agencies, especially in terms of economic, environmental and social impacts.Title VI National Resource Center Grant (P015A060066)unpublishednot peer reviewe