The Complexity of Food Sovereignty Policymaking: The Case of Nicaragua’s Law 693

Increasingly scholars are examining factors that may serve to constrain or advance food sovereignty policy initiatives. This paper examines the case of Nicaragua’s Law 693, the Law of Food and Nutritional Sovereignty and Security, which was passed in 2009. The purpose of this paper is twofold: First, it examines the origins and development of the proposal for a food sovereignty law, its introduction and initial deliberation by the National Assembly, and the breakdown in the approval process due to conflict over the law’s content. Second, it identifies some key factors that both advanced the inclusion of food sovereignty in the law as well as those that posed challenges. It finds that complex interactions between actors, their discourses, and the context in which they take place are important factors in understanding the challenges and opportunities for the inclusion of food sovereignty in national policies.

Wendy Godek, PhD Candidate, Division of Global Affairs, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ Ms. Godek’s dissertation research examines Nicaragua’s Law of Food and Nutritional Sovereignty and Security with emphasis on the policy-making process. Her research interests include food politics, alternative agrifood systems, sustainable rural development, and discourse in policy making. She provides research assistance to several organizations with food sovereignty and food security projects in Nicaraguan communities.

Food Sovereignty: a critical dialogue, 14 - 15 September, New Haven.