Agroecology and the Struggle for Food Sovereignty ... - Yale University

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134 agroecology and the struggle for food sovereignty we have worked a lot for the cooperatives, the community organizations, for the local economic groups, the ejidos, so that they could get organized – but even more, so that they have results in terms of local development strategies. We insist a lot on that – the immediate – but the strategic part of our activity is also fundamental to continue existing as an organization. Our role, since UNORCA is a network of organizations, is to synthesize the best of all our experiences and to translate that synthesis into laws, into political plans, into major demands. This has allowed us to have a series of firm plans for what we want in this country of Mexico. I think that in these past six years we have not stopped learning new things. At the national directorate, we are nine people. We have made an effort to imprint a stamp of transparency, of democracy, of firmness in our positions, to struggle in the search for local alternatives but also to search for how to change public policies, and to be willing to propose alternatives. We aren’t going to only oppose and say “No” to these things, and say “No” to those things. In November our assembly will take place, and the assembly members will evaluate the work we have done. I believe we’ve fulfilled our duty. Despite some flaws, we fulfilled a role, and we’ve paved a path for the organization. Q: What are the most important issues for the campesinos you work with? A: How to keep surviving. Yes. We don’t want to emigrate for reasons of poverty. We want to be rooted in our communities, to maintain our cultures, our story. But we want to live with dignity and live by our profession, because being a campesino is a profession, and it is a right, and today they are denying us that right. So in order to continue to exist, to continue practicing our profession, we need to raise the issue of food sovereignty to a political level in the country of Mexico. Food sovereignty, far from being a [mere] concept, needs to be a central strategic axis for overarching policies. Food sovereignty is the guarantee of our existence; it is the central issue of our existence. The other issue has to do with trade, and how to develop local markets in our country. This is an important issue because it has to do with access to food. The question is: How do we develop local markets using other rules, with intervention from the state to develop new laws even at the international level? How do we look for alternatives in a world where the existing international institutions are in crisis? How do we develop other international institutions that treat this agriculture and food system differently – not as a business or to make more profits, but instead as a source of benefits for humanity? Q: Which experiences, ideas, do you think you will take back with you from this workshop? What will you tell your colleagues? A: How the issues are approached from different experiences and ideas about agriculture in relation to food sovereignty and natural resources. There were some contradictions today, or various opinions – but because there was an open space for debate, these important issues that [can seem] antagonistic seemed complementary. I think I will share the list of issues discussed here, because in some way there exists yale school of forestry & environmental studies
interview: gómez 135 a maturity that allowed us to approach these issues from different opinions and positions, and that is what makes these events rich. It is not about reaching conclusions – it is about exchanging ideas, experiences. Q: How do you think all of these different people – academics, activists, campesinos, NGOs – can work together? A: In terms of big issues, there are common points; for example, the importance of agriculture in this world is a common point. The importance of sustainable agriculture, that we produce natural products – this is a common point. The fact that we as organized campesinos cannot ensure the advancement of family farming alone [makes] it necessary to have alliances and relationships with all sectors. A second point: we campesinos have what is called the school of life, knowledge of life. We have the imagination and the ability to know what to do, but not the capacity to translate all of this in writing, or to technically support all of this. So there should be integration between the capacity of technical professionals from the universities and the everyday, practical knowledge that we have accumulated over generations as small farmers. We should try to integrate these different capacities. So I believe these are aspects that require us to look for common ground that will allow us to move forward. We have to continue discussing and debating the big issues, but those big issues should not stop us from working together on the common points. Campesinos, academics, students, NGOs – we all share a common point with the issue of agriculture, and that is good. yale school of forestry & environmental studies
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Report Number 4 Agroecology and the
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Agroecology and the Struggle for Fo
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eakout session reports Food Soverei
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mcafee 9 Sustainability and Social
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mcafee 11 organizations or depicted
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mcafee 13 industrial agriculture, n
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mcafee 15 Producing Food or Produci
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mcafee 17 ● Major international d
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mcafee 19 Agroecology is not a mono
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mcafee 21 ● Land reform of a kind
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zimmerer 31 An Expanding Interface
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zimmerer 33 The Mesoamerican Biolog
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zimmerer 35 constellation of areas
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levins 37 A Whole-System View of Ag
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levins 39 Equity Versus Sustainabil
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levins 41 ● Small-scale to large-
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levins 43 commodities. The more fav
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levins 47 rather, they would like t
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case study: food sovereignty in the
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Page 171 and 172: participants 165 Jean Marc von der
Page 173 and 174: esources 167 Resources Farmer-to-Fa
Page 175 and 176: esources 169 ATTRA - www.attra.org
Page 177 and 178: esources 171 Just Food - www.justfo
Page 179 and 180: esources 173 International Institut
Page 181 and 182: cover photo captions 175 Cover Phot
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