Who controls the food system?

Introduction

In a world of globalised industry, where many States’ policy has increasingly been dictated by private sector interests and transnational corporations, it is worth examining how the Right to Food and the emergence of social movements that represent peoples’ local food systems and food sovereignty are swaying the balance in their favour.

Food is a fundamental right. We all need to eat. So obviously controlling the food system has, in the last 50 years become one of the key areas where TNCs are attempting to control the system.

But before examining the various aspects of the power and interplay between corporate interests and those of our world’s current 7 billion inhabitants, we need to ask a few key questions.

What is the history of our food systems? How are the corporations trying to control them? What strategies are they using? How is this affecting our social systems and food security? How are social movements responding? What impacts have they had so far? What are the next key stages in this struggle?

Conclusions

Advocacy and communication are intricately connected in all these different level of successful social movements work. It is essential to build awareness both within the civil society social movements and duty bearers involved in these initiatives. This concept is part of Rights-based approach to development promoted by many development agencies (and NGOs) to achieve a positive transformation of power relations among the various development actors.

This practice blurs the distinction between human rights and economic development. There are two stakeholder groups in rights-based development— the rights holders (who may not experience full rights) and the duty bearers (the institutions obligated to fulfil the holders' rights). Rights-based approaches aim at strengthening the capacity of duty bearers and empower the rights holders.

Building bridges between social movements and with Institutions at all levels is a complex function, particularly in such challenging times, and it is still too early to evaluate Urgenci’s specific contribution, both in terms of advocacy or overall impacts on global, European or national policy. What is certain is that the dynamics of global organised civil society’s contribution and the urgent need to build viable, sustainable short production and distribution chains is essential to feeding the cities of tomorrow, guarantee food sovereignty, build systems of governance at all levels, and effectively link urban and rural areas in ways that revitalise rural economies and secure safe, nutritious food for urban and rural populations alike in the years to come.

The case study of how one global network, contributing through two different but overlapping social movements has been working to contribute to international policy- making, clearly illustrates a new phase of maturity in social movements as a whole. The voice of civil society is now considered an essential element of global governance. And perhaps it can prove to be the voice that determines the ultimate sustainability of our presence on this planet, changing the power of corporations to the power of the people.

The other key dimension to successfully changing the balance of power is the clear need to jointly fight the current pending wave of trade treaties – TTIP, TPP and TISA. A failure to counter these treaties would result in corporate power control of our systems (and not just food). A Municipality could hypothetically be taken to court by a TNC for a failure to respect “free trade” if they implement specific clauses in local public procurement to favour small- scale local producers.

These are hard, difficult battles, but the social movements have collectively strategized and developed a coherent resistance, supported by civil society as a whole. It is far from a given that these treaties will be signed or implemented as planned by those championing Free Trade and corporate profits. How these issues will play out in the coming years will be critical to the future of humanity.

The local food systems approach, with Local Food Policy Councils, public procurement and short distribution chains and access to land to grow sustainable local food are all means of tipping the system in favour of people-managed food systems rather than corporate control by TNCs. Social movements such as LVC, Urgenci and RIPESS have now started to come of age and interact. This is indeed to way forward to build a true paradigm change and finally overcome the stranglehold of neoliberalism on society.