Although originating in the global south, the need for people to regain control of the food system in the UK is also important.
Organic producers are key players, due to their independence from the agri-industrial inputs that tie many farmers into the globalised commodity market, and their closer links to the consumer than the average farmer.
The UK Food Sovereignty movement began officially at a gathering in July 2012 (although unofficially the organic movement has been working on Food Sovereignty issues for years), and the Landworkers’ Alliance (LWA) emerged from that meeting. It brings together small and medium scale, ecological farmers and growers, under the Food Sovereignty banner to campaign and develop the skills necessary for a saner future for the food and farming system.
The activities of LWA are underpinned with the 6 principles of Food Sovereignty (which include working with nature, focusing on food for people and the localisation). The LWA is asking farmers and others in the movement what they would prioritise in a National Food Policy based on Food Sovereignty Principles, and during the discussion part of this session we will be asking you, as organic producers, what policy ideas you would like to see in such a national food policy.
