In 1996 the international peasant movement “La Vía Campesina” presented the Food Sovereignty (FS) proposal. FS is the right of people to define their own agricultural and food policies. It is also the right of peasants to produce food and the right of consumers to decide what they want to eat and how and who will produce their food. Nowadays it is widely accepted that the FS proposal offers some elements that could help to combat rural poverty and hunger. For that reason, if the academia wants to contribute to reduce global inequities, hunger and rural poverty, it is needed to critically analyse the elements raised by the FS proposal, as the first bottom-up approach ever presented by the peasant movement.
In 2009 the conclusions of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development were published. The IAASTD was a FAO and World Bank initiative which main objective was to analise the role that agricultural knowledge could have in reducing hunger and poverty, improving rural livelihoods and human health and promote an equitable and sustainable social, economic and environmental development. The IAASTD draws the attention that acknowledging competing well-supported narratives of science and technology approaches is crucial for designing effective policies. It also recognizes that investments in agricultural science and technology (AKST) have environmental, social, cultural and health impacts. For that reason, in order to eliminate persistent socioeconomic inequities it is necessary to re-focus the generation and delivery of AKST including a full, open and transparent participation of all stakeholders. Some of the crucial recommendations are to integrate traditional knowledge; and other scientific focuses, such as that of social sciences in policy formulations; to adopt ‘agroecological’ strategies; to create better opportunities for farmers and rural workers in developing countries or to strengthen the role of women.
The adoption of the IAASTD recommendations within our scientific approaches would allow universities and research centres to contribute to the creation of knowledge that would favour the FS proposal claimed by the peasant movement. However, this implies a change in our paradigms about how knowledge is created, who creates it and the participation and collaboration channels among all people implicated in the generation and exchange of knowledge. In this international seminar we will reflect about this change of scientific paradigm that implies the application of some of the IAASTD recommendations and the role that the academia can and must play in the FS of people. Some practical cases developed by European and African universities will also be discussed and an open-space for presentation and discussion.
PROGRAM
9.00-9:30: Presentation: Diputación of Barcelona, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Institut de Govern de Polítiques Públiques (Institute of Government and Public Policies).
Posters preparation.
PART 1. The context:
9.30-10.15: Marta G. Rivera-Ferre (Center for Agro-food Economy and Development-CREDA and Research Group Agriculture, Livestock and Food in Globalization -ARAG) and Silvia Riveiro (ETC Group). Science, Research and Food Sovereignty.
10.15-11.30: Hans Herren (President of the Millennium Institute, IAASTD Secretariat): Research and agricultural knowledge for a sustainable development: the IAASTD and the Food Sovereignty.
11.30-11.45: Coffee.
PART 2. Practical cases:
11.45-12.30: Europe and Asia. Michel Pimbert (International Institute for Environment and Development-IIED).
12.30-13.15: Europe and Latin America: Angel Calle (University of Cordoba. Instituto Sociológico de Estudios Campesinos y Observatorio Soberanía Alimentaria)
13.15-14.00 Africa: Samake Assètou (University of Mali. Director of the African Institute for Food and Sustainable Development).
14:00-15.30: Lunch and Posters presentation.
PART 3. What can formal research offers to peasants? Proposals from the peasants needs.
15.30-17.00. Agnes Moya (La Xarxeta) / Fernando Fernández (COAG)/ Paul Nicholson (EHNE-La Vía Campesina)/ ADV Gent del Camp
17.00-18.00 Round table with speakers and Posters Discussion.
18.00-18.15. End of Workshop
18.30. Public presentation of the site “International Indicators for Food Sovereignty”
Registration and communication of poster presentation: jornadainvestigacionfoodsov@gmail.com
Place: Edifici del Vagó. Recinte Escola Industrial. Urgell, 187.
Language: Spanish and French
Date: 17th December 2010
Organized by: FAS, ARAGUAB, CCDR, Revista Soberanía Alimentaria, biodiversidad y culturas.
With the support of: Diputación de Barcelona, IGOP
