Abstract

Food sovereignty has evolved from a catch-cry opposing trade liberalisation to a concept adopted by broader constituencies - including food justice movements in the Global North - who share the view that the corporate food system is fundamentally undemocratic and destined to fail. Spanning issues including gender inequality, agroecology, land reform, genetic modification, intellectual property, biodiversity, urban agriculture and labour migration, the campaign for food sovereignty has emerged as a political project that talks to power. Recognition of food sovereignty as a condition for the full realisation of the right to food has elevated the concept in international human rights discourse while the mechanisms and institutions with the power to carry out the transformative changes to the corporate food regime that food sovereignty advocates demand are still wanting.