Think Globally Eat Locally

Local producers, global “players”

Producers, consumers – who else is part of the food system?

According to the FAO ( Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The FAO looks at and reports on all aspects of agriculture, trade with agricultural products, food – and hunger. The FAO promotes policies against hunger, including suggestions about agricultural practices), 2/3 of the people suffering from hunger live and work on the land. Why do people go hungry where food is produced.

An increasing share of the food produced in developing countries of the global south, where a lot of people suffer from hunger and malnutrition, is exported to the industrialised countries of the global north. This means that many people who work in food production do not produce food for themselves and the local market. Increasing food production thus does not necessarily mean that more food is available to the population. Food becomes more expensive because it now needs to be imported. So the rural poor need to buy food from supermarkets – that is costly, and they may even need to travel to buy food.

For the farmers, the production for export can mean that they have their own land but grow one crop for a large buyer. Many others work on plantations, often under bad working conditions, and get a wage. As a result, farmers and plantation workers have little or no possibility to grow their own food, as their forefathers did. So they depend on food they buy. Often, wages are not high enough to feed a family, and producer prices for smallholders are low. With rising food prices, more and more people are threatened by hunger.

Uganda: The Coffee Plantation

In the year 2000, a German coffee company looking for land for a coffee plantation found a piece of land in the Mubende District in Central Uganda. In the negotiations between the company and the Ugandan authorities it was agreed that the land had to be uninhabited, and that those living there at the moment had to be compensated for losing their land.

Eviction

In August 2001, the government of Uganda evicted approximately 4000 persons from their land and destroyed four villages. The people lost everything: Their houses, their fields, cattle and food stock were destroyed or burned down. The primary school of the area was turned into an administrative building for the plantation. Nobody received the promised compensation.

Violation of human rights

People lost access to land, food, drinking water, sanitation, housing and education. All of these are internationally agreed human rights, codified in the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Both the Ugandan and the German governments have ratified this covenant and are bound by it.

For detailed documentation and sources turn to www.fian.de

How could this happen? Aren’t there laws against this? What should the people do?

Food – a human right

All human beings have the right “to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing…”. This is one of the fundamental human rights that the international community has defined in Article 11 of the ICESCR (International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights). The states who have ratified this covenant are obliged to protect these rights and to ensure that everybody has physical and economic access to food (Article 11, Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights).

Organic agriculture can help solve the world’s hunger problem March 2014

According to FAO, organic agricultural methods can help stabilise food supply and farmer livelihoods. They strengthen food production systems against the many risks of climate change, for example floods, droughts and erosion. In particular, they contribute positively to food stability: they improve the soil and its ability to keep the water, and they protect biodiversity. This means that plants are more healthy, have more nutrients, and water is used efficiently.

Many scientists and development organisations put organic farming methods in the social and political context, linking ecology, culture, economy and society. This approach to farming is called agroecology.Agroecology, like organic agriculture, makes the best use of nature’s goods and services but tries not to damage these resources. Farmers who use agroecological practices win seeds and natural fertiliser (inputs) and food from within the farming system. Instead of using pesticides and herbicides, they combine plants intelligently to control pests and weeds. Many farmers rediscover traditional knowledge about farming. They experiment with local crops and methods to find out what works best in their region and climate.Farmers who use agroecological methods are less dependent on the market because they no longer buy their inputs (seeds and fertilisers), and they do not rely on just one crop. The farm is not only ecologically stronger, but economically more stable. Agroecological farmers often produce for the local market, so their personal and their community’s food situation is improved.

Word of the Year 2007: Locavore November 2007

Using locally grown ingredients has become more and more popular in the past year. People use seasonally available foodstuffs that can be bought and prepared without the need for extra preservatives.The “locavore” movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to grow or pick their own food, arguing that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Locavores do not usually buy at supermarket because the transport of food over long distances often requires more fuel for transportation. “The word ‘locavore’ shows how food-lovers can enjoy what they eat and at the same time consider the impact they have on the environment. It brings together eating and ecology in a new way”, the jury explains their choice of the Word of the Year.“Locavore” was coined by a group of people from San Francisco who proposed that local residents should try to eat only food grown or produced within a 100-mile radius. If you search the internet for “100-mile diet”, “locally sourced food” or “eating locally”, you will find a number of initiatives all over North America and the UK, including restaurants, chefs and even “100-mile diet challenges”.

Source: based on http://blog.oup.com/2007/11/locavore/.

How about you?

Do you buy local food at the market, or do you prefer the supermarket? Write a statement and use the language box to help you.