In 2020, the Asian Peoples Exchange for Agroecology and Food Sovereignty (APEX) successfully conducted sub-regional consultations with organisations from Southeast and South Asia regions. As a precursor to the program workshops, APEX also launched a two-part webinar for in-depth discussions on food sovereignty and agroecology.
Sub-regional consultations
During the sub-regional consultations, partner organisations have shared how they promote and campaign for food sovereignty and for some, their practice of agroecology. The consultations were also a venue for Regional Learning Exchange Platform (RLEP) participants and new participants to introduce their organisation and their body of work. Aside from sharing and exchanging their practices, partners also discussed the current state of their countries and communities amid the pandemic and how they were able to respond to the challenges brought by the unprecedented situation.
“The platform is a way to help everyone, the consortium and participating organisation, to understand and consolidate their vision and actions for food sovereignty and agroecology based on the perspective of farmers, peasants, rural workers, Indigenous people, fisher folks and women which would strengthen movements leading to a healthy communities and the environment.” Sarojeni Rengam, executive director of PANAP.
According to Cris Panerio, National Coordinator of MASIPAG, agroecology is a win for everybody, as ‘it will lead to a higher quality of life for farmers and good health for the consumers and the environment.’ “Farmer-led agroecology is not unique to MASIPAG, it is being practiced by other organisations present here in the consultation, and they just have to nurture and expand it.” He added.
Panerio also emphasised that it is important for organisations to conduct dialogues with rural communities to understand their needs, problems and aspirations and transform them into variable programs.
Meanwhile, Hermann Rupp of MISEREOR said that APEX will also be an instrument for further exchanges between organizations on certain issues surrounding agroecology and food sovereignty. He shared that Germany is facing its third drought and farmers are facing severe problems which might unite them with the Asian people. With this, he hopes that German farmers could also share their experience in future APEX meeting.
In the end, APEX partners expressed their willingness to learn more on topics and issues surrounding food sovereignty and agroecology as well as have meaningful exchanges and discussions among the group.
Sharing Perspectives on Food Sovereignty & Agroecology
The sub-regional consultations also provided an opportunity for participants to exchange their perspectives and experiences in campaigning for food sovereignty and agroecology. The short discussion on these two important concepts during the consultations have seen the need for a deeper discussion on their multidimensionality, interdependence, and basic principles, thus, APEX launched the two-part webinar entitled, “Food Sovereignty and Agroecology: Perspectives, Principles and Practices”. This webinar is an opportunity to contribute to the growing knowledge on food sovereignty and agroecology and guide APEX in its future work.
Sarojeni Rengam, executive director of PANAP, shared the context, concepts and principles of food sovereignty. She also discussed why we have to support the people’s aspirations for food sovereignty.
“Food sovereignty is needed to avoid destruction of sustainable agriculture, food production, people’s livelihood and health. Neo-liberal policies on our food system have intensified social and economic injustices that led to agricultural dumping, export dependency, low investments in agriculture intended for domestic food, land grabs from foreign and domestic corporations. These oppressive policies also resulted to the denationalisation of food production, distribution and consumption.’ Rengam said
She added that food sovereignty translates the right to food into a more comprehensive demand for production of nutritious, culturally acceptable, and agroecologically produced foods. Coupled with such principles, the people should demand state responsibility in implementing food sovereignty and its attached principles.
Meanwhile, Dr Chito Medina, MASIPAG member scientist, discussed the basic concepts and principles of agroecology and how it can help change our current food system that will benefit both the food producers and consumers. “Agroecology is the practical solution in food systems that tries to design and implement a productive and sustainable framework that is based on farmers’ choice. Choices and decisions that are free from corporate and other external control.”
APEX Partners were also given the chance to share their approaches to food sovereignty and agroecology. Seruni from Indonesia, Roots for Equity from Pakistan and Keystone Foundation of India shared their approaches to food sovereignty while MASIPAG from the Philippines and Thanal Trust of India shared their approaches to agroecology
The APEX Secretariat will organise more online meetings to provide space for partner organisations to discuss issues on seeds, PGS, climate change and among others that affect the rural communities ability to grow and produce food.
Agroecology is the future of farming
In the context of the current food systems of the world, mainstream and conventional agricultural practices led by agro-corporations perpetuate farming practices that are exploitative, destructive, and unsafe, not only for the farmers, but also to the land and consumers. Amid all these, agroecology ensures a holistic approach in ensuring a just, sustainable, resilient, safe, and people-centered form of agriculture. As a set of principles and practices immersed in scientific approaches all the while relevant to socio-political and economical considerations of farmers, it presents a clear path for the future farming far from the false promises of industrial farming that is centered on profit-making.
Food Sovereignty
Food sovereignty as a platform for policy advocacy and a rallying point for action for movements empowers people and communities to assert the right to food. It is also a form of resistance against monopolies of corporations in food production and other entities whose interests contrast that of the people. For the People’s Coalition on Food Sovereignty, the culmination of our struggle for food sovereignty is the actual or full realization of people’s democracy in all aspects of the food and agriculture systems including production and social relations, national policies, and programs.
