The National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) builds
U.S. support for a growing international food sovereignty movement—one
which seeks to guarantee the human right of communities to choose
where and how their food is produced and what food they consume.
The global expansion of transnational corporate agribusiness,
promoted by governments and free trade agreements, increasingly
denies communities that right by undermining family farms that
have traditionally satisfied communities’ food needs.
The NFFC Food Sovereignty Vision Statement was crafted by our
members:
“We envision empowered communities everywhere working together
democratically to advance a food system that ensures health, justice
and dignity for all. Family farming will be an attractive and
viable livelihood that supports economically, environmentally,
and socially diverse and sustainable communities where future
generations will thrive.
Farmers, ranchers, and fishers will have control over their lands,
water, seeds, and livelihoods, as well as the ability to steward
the land, take good care of the animals, protect biodiversity
and conserve and increase farming knowledge. Farm workers and
food workers will have respect and decent incomes, and farmers
will have the first right to produce food for local and regional
markets, so that the planet’s energy and the soil and water
are conserved. All people will have access to healthy, local,
delicious food.”
NFFC’s Food Sovereignty Campaign creates a foundation for
connecting the public with those in other countries to demand
fair prices for farmers and consumers with local markets first
served by local farmers everywhere. NFFC works globally with Via
Campesina, a network of thousands of small-farmer organizations
representing over 100 million farmers on six continents.
NFFC looks forward to lifting the voices of American farmers in
harmony with others to achieve Food Sovereignty and make family
farms the farms of the future worldwide.
Food Sovereignty Campaign Goals:
1) Farmers have the
first right to markets in the farmers’ own region / country
at a fair price.
2) The concept/goals of food sovereignty
popularized in the U.S.
3) International trade cooperation
to ensure food sovereignty.
Via Campesina Food Sovereignty 2005 meeting
