In Latin America, the concept of food sovereignty has emerged as an alternative approach to tackling food shortages and agricultural problems. It focuses on people’s rights to define their
own food and agriculture rather than having food largely subject to international market forces. It aims to protect local agricultural production and trade with a view to achieving sustainable rural development.
The food sovereignty movement has the potential to address gender inequalities: it is grounded in the need to recognise that rural food producers – men and women – have equal rights. As in many parts of the world, women play an invisible but significant role in food security. For example, there is a long tradition of women collecting and propagating seed varieties for nutritional and medicinal uses.
Several women’s organisations in Latin America have made this link, including Bartolina Sisa in Bolivia and the Network of Rural Women in Venezuela. They promote food sovereignty as a way to ensure ownership over food production and underpin the struggle for women’s rights.
What is the best way to challenge fixed gender roles and achieve greater gender equality and empowerment? For lasting change, it is vital to move from rhetoric to reality, by:
CEDEM
Manuel Thompson 4270,Estación Central
Santiago, Chile
pamecaro@cedem.tie.cl
www.cedem.cl
own food and agriculture rather than having food largely subject to international market forces. It aims to protect local agricultural production and trade with a view to achieving sustainable rural development.
The food sovereignty movement has the potential to address gender inequalities: it is grounded in the need to recognise that rural food producers – men and women – have equal rights. As in many parts of the world, women play an invisible but significant role in food security. For example, there is a long tradition of women collecting and propagating seed varieties for nutritional and medicinal uses.
Several women’s organisations in Latin America have made this link, including Bartolina Sisa in Bolivia and the Network of Rural Women in Venezuela. They promote food sovereignty as a way to ensure ownership over food production and underpin the struggle for women’s rights.
What is the best way to challenge fixed gender roles and achieve greater gender equality and empowerment? For lasting change, it is vital to move from rhetoric to reality, by:
- enabling women to have equal rights to land ownership
- ensuring equal participation by men in unpaid care and other reproductive activities
- giving reproductive activities the same value as productive activities, such as agricultural work
- making the preparation and distribution of food the responsibility of both women and men
- ensuring greater involvement of women in decisions concerning food production and distribution
CEDEM
Manuel Thompson 4270,Estación Central
Santiago, Chile
pamecaro@cedem.tie.cl
www.cedem.cl
