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

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agroecology and the struggle for food sovereignty
Q: How could the way policies are made give a better voice to the voiceless?
A: I’ve seen the emergence of movements in Mexico – and not only in Mexico, in Latin
America – that are bringing the voices of farmers to policymakers, that are proposing
new legislation, that are proposing new ...reforms related to the distribution of land,
new reforms related to the structures of support for farmers and rural communities,
that I think are highly innovative and offer new opportunities. And these networks and
emerging movements are bringing together people and entities; they are bridging the
gaps between those who represent government agencies, for instance, or policymakers,
and the grassroots movements.
I think at this point there are two or three things we need to continue doing. One
is to continue to support grassroots efforts, continue to go and work in the trenches,
work with communities, partner with them, continue to create models of sustainability
at the very local level – something that can be modeled, replicated. ...We
should also continue to strengthen these networks among young people and among
farmers – for instance, in Mexico – people who share the same vision, but didn’t
know that they have the same concerns and that they have the same dreams.
yale school of forestry & environmental studies