Place for family farming : food sovereignty in Uruguay
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Date
2006
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McGill University, Department of Anthropology, Montreal, QC, CA
Abstract
In order to reverse the decline of small-scale farming in Latin America, many social movements on the political left are advocating “agroecology” and “food sovereignty”. Agroecology is an approach that places biological and cultural diversity at the foundation of agricultural systems. The concept of food sovereignty relates to the orientation to international trade. Proponents of food sovereignty argue that the priority of food systems should focus on local producers and consumers, who should also decide how the system functions. In Uruguay, the creation of a citizens’ proposal called “Sustainable Uruguay” has brought together rural and urban organizations in efforts to create an alternative plan for the country. A central principle is the need for national policies for food sovereignty. // I carried out fieldwork to examine the connection between these ideas and the views and practices of horticultural family farmers in a locality in the northeast of the department of Canelones. This region has seen negative environmental impacts from the use of chemical fertilizers and monocropping. It was also affected by trade liberalization in the 1970s, which led to the collapse of a national agroindustry oriented to the domestic market. My analysis, based on research in the region and particularly with an organic cooperative, indicates that agroecology methods have been beneficial for farmer autonomy, health and environmental protection. Several of the local strategies and skills were crucial for making the transition to organic production. // Vital to the relative success of organic producers has also been their participation in organizations to develop markets and to exert political influence. Many leaders of Uruguayan organizations representing small producers point out the cultural value of family farms and critique the production-driven model of agriculture. They demand differential policies for protection of family farms and for the revitalization of rural areas in general. Some rural organizations have begun to explore ideas relating to agroecology and food sovereignty, which push further the critique of industrial agriculture and commonly-accepted notions of development. These organizations collaborate with environmental and union organizations that espouse these views and that are part of international networks, such as those that participate in Sustainable Uruguay forums. // This thesis presents two interlinked elements key to the collaboration between organizations in Sustainable Uruguay: its methods and the framing and substance of its proposals. The horizontal and long-term nature of the participatory methods has been essential to be able to overcome divisions and foster common understanding and collaboration. The food sovereignty proposal has become the backbone of the forum’s platform on agriculture because it is an idea that responds to the needs and demands of the workers, farmers and environmentalists involved. Such alliances may be significant for helping to bridge the rural-urban divisions that exacerbate neglect of the crisis in family farming. Crucial to this effort, I argue, is an understanding of the cultural and affective relations between farmers and their homes and livelihoods.
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Thesis, McGill University, 2006
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Keywords
FAMILY FARMS, FOOD CROPS, FOOD SECURITY, AGRICULTURAL POLICY, AGRICULTURAL MARKETS, LOCAL LEVEL, NATIONAL LEVEL, URUGUAY