Food Sovereignty and the Environment

Abstract

This article reflects on food sovereignty from the recognition of food as a fundamental human right and the ecological interdependence between species and their environment. The author cites data from Jean Ziegler, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, on the 854 million people suffering severe malnutrition worldwide, and argues that the food-security discourse has been instrumentalized by economic actors to justify land accumulation and seed monopolies. The text traces the historical evolution of the Green Revolution from the Industrial Revolution, describing the environmental effects of monoculture and intensive fertilizer and pesticide use, including Persistent Organic Pollutants and their bioaccumulation and endocrine-disruption effects on wildlife.