Food Sovereignty and Trade

May 9, 2011

LDC Conference Istanbul

One of the key issues for Least Developed Countries is food security and agricultural trade policies. This morning I attended a very informative meeting on trade and agriculture titled: Dangers of Trade Liberalization: WTO Doha Round and Economic Partnership Agreements and Implications for LDCs.

The meeting was sponsored by two organizations; Our World is Not For Sale (http://www.ourworldisnotforsale.org/) and the Third World Network (http://www.twnside.org.sg/agriculture_negotiations.htm). Meena Ramen, from Friends of the Earth (http://www.foe.co.uk/index.html) was a very knowledgeable and passionate speaker. Ms. Ramen raised important questions regarding certain governments’ policies of importing cheap food instead of focusing on local food agriculture. During her speech she explained the serious implication this has on countries food security, their rising food prices and jobs in the agriculture sectors.

Food security is can be defined as “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life (www.who.org)”. An important component of food security (that is often left out) is food sovereignty. Food sovereignty does not advocate for food needs to be met by foreign distribution or importation of food. Food sovereignty can be defined as “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 also is a “platform for rural revitalization at a global level based on equitable distribution of farmland and water, farmer control over seeds, and productive small-scale farms supplying consumers with healthy, locally grown food”.

Ms. Ramen described a series of factors that prevent many of the LDCs’ from having both food security and sovereignty. The main barrier is the result of a monopoly that northern “developed” countries have over trade tariffs and taxes on their agriculture exports to the “developing” countries in the south. For example, in the US it costs $415 per ton to grow rice. That rice is then exported out of the country for $205 per ton, as result of farm subsidies given by the US government. As result farmers in the global south are unable to compete with prices and the US grown rice (often grown by corporate farms) is artificially cheaper than rice prices in country. Case study after case study shows that the competition from cheaply subsidized imports severely displaces local farmers and food prices. This is very interrelated with gender, for many women in Africa agriculture is their lifeblood. On the continent women make up 53% of the population and 80% of them work within the agricultural economy. Thus, greedy European and American trade tariffs have a huge impact on women livelihoods and their right to decent employment. 

As result there are very serious implications for the LDCs because of trade tariffs. If the UN is really serious about strengthening rural agriculture it must be recognized that agriculture a key pillar in production capacity. There needs to be a change in trade agreements and only once that happens will the LDCs be given a fair chance have food sovereignty and security. This will be a continued discussion throughout the conference, with a high level meetings taking place on food security later on the week.

Speaking of food soverignety, after the conference ended on Sunday me and some friends (new and old!), went to the Black Sea for a BBQ. Here is a little taste of my experience in Turkey! Enjoy

Eggplant for a Sunday Evening at the Black Sea

7 small/thin eggplants

5 cloves of garlic

2 tsp of sea salt

1/2 of a small onion

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Poke holes in eggplant and place them directly over coals/wood. You can also do this over a gas stove or BBQ. Flip every few minutes until skins on all side are blackeded. Let cool for 10 mins.

Peel eggplants (carefully with your hands) and take off the the blackened skins. Place the pulp in a bowl. Discard or compost the skin. Finely mince garlic and onion.

Mash together eggplant, with onions, garlic, olive oil and salt.

Get some crunchy bread, dip in and enjoy!