Food sovereignty: an analysis on political advocacy of social organizations in Ecuador

Over the last decade, food sovereignty has become a backdrop for collective social actions at global level. Proposed by Via Campesina, it states the right to not only food but also to produce food, ensuring access to resources. Despite the global scenario of financialization of every living space, including agrifood sector, food sovereignty has become a strategic objective in Ecuador thanks to political advocacy of peasant and indigenous organizations. It specifies state responsibilities to promote agroecological production by small and medium units, redistributive policies for access to land and other productive resources and rural/urban interaction. These engagements form part of an innovative development paradigm, Buen Vivir, based on harmony between humanity and nature and principles of solidarity and justice. The paper analyses the advocacy process for food sovereignty of social coalitions in Ecuador, to study its impact on new Constitution and generally on local food regimes and development paradigms.