From food waste to food sovereignty: the peasant farmers’ demand on the global agenda

While millions of tons of food are wasted every year, peasant farmers face poverty, inequality and exclusion. In this context, food sovereignty is emerging as a response to a model that deepens the environmental and social crisis.

At the end of March, at a UN event on the environment, it was noted that   food loss and waste are responsible for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and approximately 14% of methane emissions. Methane is one of the most polluting gases.

With these figures, food waste emerges as one of the main drivers of the so-called “triple planetary crisis,” which includes climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Another relevant fact is that about 60% of waste occurs in households, with the rest distributed between food services and retailers, which reveals failures along the entire chain, from production to consumption. This calls for a profound transformation toward more efficient and sustainable food systems.

In response, the UN insists that the solution is within reach through small changes in consumption habits that can have a significant impact. At the same time, coordinated action by governments and businesses is needed to redesign food systems, improve distribution and reduce losses.

The United Nations stressed that moving toward a zero-waste model is not just an environmental option but an urgent necessity. Reducing food waste is one of the most effective and accessible actions for building a more sustainable future.

Rural poverty and unequal access to food

Moreover, according to UN estimates, poverty remains a predominantly rural problem, as 80% of people suffering from hunger live in rural areas, especially in developing countries. Meanwhile, 50% are peasant farmers working small plots with traditional methods, as well as seasonal farmworkers and other rural workers.

People who work in rural areas are vulnerable to discrimination, abuse and labor exploitation, including insecure access to land and other threats to their livelihoods arising from climate change, land grabbing and abusive labor practices.

Along these lines, those most affected by poverty, violence and climate change are women and girls living in rural settings, who not only face the dilemmas mentioned above but also a lack of development and of access to scientific advances, among other problems.

Food sovereignty, a response from peasant movements

Just as the UN proposes a sustainable future through waste reduction, peasant communities organized worldwide are promoting the concept of food sovereignty, a definition that comes from the social movement La Vía Campesina and was formalized in 1996 during the World Food Summit organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
For La Vía Campesina, food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, as well as their right to define their own food and agricultural systems.

The importance of this concept, which is also supported by the FAO, lies in building a fair and collaborative food network. It is a fully  ecological approach that strengthens the local economy of small producers and reduces dependence on imports, narrows the inequality gap and seeks fair prices.

April 17 and the struggle for land

April 17 marks the International Day of Peasant Struggles, which commemorates the 1996 Eldorado dos Carajás massacre, in which 19 landless workers were killed by the military police in Pará, Brazil, while marching for land and justice.

According to La Vía Campesina and other rural organizations, the date seeks to honor peasant resistance, defend agroecological food production and fight against the criminalization of rural struggles, as well as to uphold the right of peoples to define their own agricultural and food policies.

The UN also supports peasant communities in their struggles through the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. This document seeks to legally protect those who depend on the land and the sea, recognizing their central role in biodiversity and global food security. It also requires States to guarantee equitable access to natural resources, seeds and justice, and to prohibit forced evictions and labor discrimination. It further emphasizes the need to safeguard peasants’ physical health against the use of hazardous chemicals and the impacts of climate change.

The United Nations states that, in the face of this century’s environmental challenges, it is necessary to promote food sovereignty and agroecology as a sustainable alternative for rural life. It also urges States to protect the right of communities to define their own agri-food systems and to conserve, use and exchange their own seeds and traditional knowledge. The UN promotes an approach that prioritizes respect for nature, the well-being of peasant families and biodiversity over speculation and industrial exploitation.

Guillermo Whpei

President of Fundación para la Democracia