Food Sovereignty

What is Food Sovereignty?

“Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute, and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations.”

~ Declaration of Nyéléni, the first global forum on food sovereignty in 2007

Food Sovereignty reclaims food traditions and regenerates communities with the food of their ancestors. Food not only plays a vital role in keeping us nourished and healthy, it also reflects our cultural heritage and identity. Food connects us to people and places—bringing friends, families, and communities together— and links us to the earth and to those who grow and raise the food that sits on our dinner table each and every day.

Learn more about the actions taking place across Arizona that safeguard ancestral and native foods, farming practices, and prioritizing food access across communities.  

Food Security Versus Food Sovereignty: What’s the Difference?

Food Security is a term often used when referring to the ability of all people, at all times, to have access to affordable, safe, and healthy food. Working toward food security is one of the approaches taken to address food access, malnutrition, and hunger issues. However, there is a movement that addresses food-related issues through the lens of deeper inequalities and power structures: Food Sovereignty.

Food sovereignty holistically embodies the right to food and the structural imbalances that prevent it. Food sovereignty is centered around people and their own ability to grow, harvest, process, distribute, and directly feed their community with culturally significant and nutritious food. Food sovereignty also prioritizes fair prices for farmers and food and the sustainability of land and resources. 

Another concept within the discussion of food environments and food structures is “food swamp,” a term used to describe areas with a high concentration of fast food and junk food outlets, convenience stores, and liquor stores relative to healthier food options. A food swamp is distinct from a “food desert,” which is a residential area with limited access to affordable, healthy food options. Food swamps have been found to be a stronger predictor of obesity rates and are located in higher instances in low-income and racial-ethnic minorities communities. 

While these concepts create language to talk about food systems and the effects of food environments, they fall short in addressing the underlying issues. Food sovereignty is the missing dimension that gets to the root causes of food access, malnutrition, and hunger. This approach allows people to define (and control) their agricultural and food policies and acknowledges that people should have a say in their relationship with food.