FOOD SOVEREIGNTY

We need to spare some thoughts to ways of developing medium to long term sustainable farming practices both here in Wales and elsewhere on the planet. We are overdependent on oil based chemical fertilizers and a world trade network that is fueled by increasingly  expensive oil products.

There are plenty of people around the world who don't subscribe to or support the efforts of the European Union, the World Trade Organisation, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the multinationals and some governments who are busy trying to continue to globalize food production at the expense of local self sufficiency.

The concept of 'Food Sovereignty' focuses on 'national' control of food policy, and self sufficiency rather than the production of cash crops for export. More locally these efforts could focus on promoting regional and local foodstuffs and developing local markets. Opponents of  this idea have suggested that this idea hampers free trade, which in turn lowers prices and makes food more accessible to all.

In truth some countries cannot grow enough food to feed themselves so there will always be some trade in foodstuffs. The real questions that should be asked  are what kind of trade in food is taking place? Who controls it? And who benefits from it? Not to mention who does this trade in food fit into the larger picture of local and regional agriculture?