A Primer on Reclaiming Our Food Systems
Food sovereignty isn't just a buzzword in regenerative agriculture. It's a radical rethinking of who controls our food and how it's produced.
At its core, food sovereignty represents "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," according to La Via Campesina, the international movement that coined the term in 1996.
Unlike food security, which focuses on ensuring everyone has enough to eat, food sovereignty asks the deeper question: Who controls the food system? It challenges the corporate food regime that prioritizes profits over people and planet.
The concept emerged as a response to multiple overlapping crises. Small farmers and Indigenous communities worldwide found themselves squeezed by global market forces, industrial agriculture, land grabbing, and climate change. In response, they developed a framework that puts producers and communities at the center of decision-making.
Food sovereignty rests on several key pillars:
Focusing on food for people, not just as commodities
Valuing food providers and their knowledge
Localizing food systems to bring producers and consumers closer
Putting control locally over land, water, and seeds
Building knowledge and skills that conserve traditional practices
Working with nature through agroecological methods
These principles have inspired movements worldwide. From Indigenous seed-saving initiatives in North America to legal battles against GMOs in the Philippines, communities are reclaiming control over their food systems.
In the United States, chef Sherry Pocknett, the first Indigenous woman to win a James Beard Award, demonstrates food sovereignty through her restaurant featuring traditional Wampanoag foods. "Our food is our stories," Pocknett tells WBUR. "It's our sovereignty."
Food sovereignty isn't just about feeding people—it's about preserving culture, building resilience to climate change, and creating more equitable societies. As global crises intensify, this grassroots vision offers a compelling alternative to our current food system.
This is the first installment in our food sovereignty series. Watch for upcoming pieces on seed sovereignty and agroecology. Watch the Thriving Communities documentary film trailer about a community reclaiming food sovereignty in the U.S.