grow vegan
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7/29/2019 Grow Vegan
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Grow VeganFood Sovereignty and Veganism
Nicole is a permaculture practitioner, grower and community organiser based in
Somerset. She has been vegan 11 years and thinks creating plant-based systems that
feed our communities is a way of accelerating the social change necessary to endanimal agriculture. www.wildheartpermaculture.co.uk
Time for Food Sovereignty La Via Campesina Europe
What is food sovereignity?
Food Sovereignty is the right of people to healthy and culturally
appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and
sustainable methods, and the right of people to define their own
food and agriculture systems.
Where does food sovereignty stand in relation to other movements?
Its a framework that has been used by peoples in the Global South
since the first Food Sovereignty Forum in Mali, Africa in 2007,
where the Declaration of Nylni first stated that it is farmers and
citizens who need to be at the heart of food systems and policies,
rather than the demands of the markets or corporations.
Why is it relevant to the vegan movement?
Having self-determination over our food systems is essential if we are
to manifest the social justice for non-human animals and ecological
respect that we hold close to our hearts in the vegan movement.
The same industrial agricultural models that are responsible for
factory farms and wildlife habitat destruction perpetuate labour
exploitation, the displacement of indigenous people and ecological
harm across the planet. As vegans are fully aware: how we feed
ourselves is a major determinant of our relationships with other beings.
Challenging this industrial agriculture and corporate model of food
production with one developed from the grassroots by and for those
involved in food production is vital, and food sovereignty as a
framework has shown its opportunities and strengths amidst social
movements for change in the past decade.
There are six principles that are presented as part of the food
sovereignty framework promoted by international group La Via
Campesina who represent 200 million small-scale farmers and
peasants worldwide.
In brief, food sovereignty:
1. Focuses on food for people putting people at the centre of
food policies and rejecting the proposition that food is another
commodity for international agri-business.
2. Values food producers valuing all, especially women and
small-scale farmers, who cultivate, grow and harvest food.
3. Localises food systems brings consumers and providers closer
together and rejects inequitable trade practices.
4. Puts control locally places control over natural resources
such as seeds and land locally and ensures the right of local
communities to inhabit and use their territories in socially and
environmentally sustainable ways.
5. Builds knowledge and skills develops appropriate research
systems and rejects technologies that undermine, threaten or
contaminate these, e.g. genetic engineering.
6. Works with nature food sovereignty uses the contributions
of nature in diverse, low external input agroecological
production and harvesting methods and rejects industrialised
production practices which damage the environment.
Nicole Vosper
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Which of the six principles is the most
important?
Food sovereignty cannot be achieved
through one or the other; all principles
must be practiced for true self-
determination over our food systems.
How is food sovereignty applied in the UK?
Food sovereignty as a framework has been
commonly adopted by those working in
international development circles however
the growing community food movement in
the UK, permaculture networks, transition
groups, local organisers and more are now
increasingly using the principles to focus
and frame their practice.
In July 2012 the first UK Food
Sovereignty Gathering took place at plant
nursery and market garden workers
cooperative, OrganicLea in London.
Transforming our food system brought
together over 100 farmers, activists,
academics and more from all corners of
the country and marks the crest of a wave
of food sovereignty organising in the UK.
What are the challenges facing food
sovereignty in the future?
It is clear for anyone reading the longerversion of the principles that food
sovereignty is not explicitly vegan.
This can be personally and politically
challenging when many people involved
are small-scale animal farmers with very
different visions of what food sovereignty
would look like if achieved in the UK.
Are we allies in the fight against corporate
control of our food systems or are we
enemies in respect of the mistreatment and
killing of animals for food? Despite the
challenges, I feel we have an obligation to
continue to participate and add our voices
to the conversations that are taking place.
There is a white elephant in the room and
that is that industrial animal agriculture
clearly impacts on the ability of people
around the planet to have sovereignty over
their food systems. It is here that veganism
provides leverage for re-designing our
food systems and achieving social justice
for all beings and not just humans.
The Vegan l Spring 2013 33
Boo ArmstrongObituary by Louise Wallis
On the 8th of October 2012, multi award-winning social entrepreneur
Boo Armstrong, died after a valiant struggle with cancer.
As she wrote in her chapter for the bookBe The Change, Boo cared a
lot. Her first political act aged nine was to go vegetarian. At 16
she turned vegan. She and I became friends soon after, when I was
President of The Vegan Society. I hired Boo and her sister Franny to
make the Societys first film Truth or Dairy. Boo stars (incognito) in
my favorite two scenes as the Pantomime cow, and the dancing
feet in Vegetarian Shoes. Boo went on to achieve more in 37 years
than most manage in a lifetime. At 19, she was the youngest ever Chair
of theLondon Lesbian & Gay Switchboard. Later, as Coordinator of
charity Women and Health, she raised 400,000 in lottery funding to
transform their base into a fully accessible eco-building. In 2004 she
founded Get Well UK, which sought to make complementary therapies
available on the NHS, and won many awards, including the Integrated
Health Futures Award from Prince Charles in 2005. Boo inspired
many people with her drive, determination, and infectious sense of
fun. She lives on in our hearts.
Interested in learning more about
food sovereignty in the UK?
Follow these links for more
information.
www.veganorganic.net
www.foodsovereigntynow.org.uk
www.reclaimthefields.org.uk