It’s been bubbling away for some time now but on Sunday 8th and Monday 9th July the UK Food Sovereignty movement shed its chrysalis and truly emerged as a beautiful butterfly! This is a true peoples movement, made up of farmers, producers, foodies, consumers and a peppering of ngos; Gaia being one.

The two-day event, Transforming Our Food System, brought together a diverse range of minds, ideas, skills and experiences from across the UK food system. The common thread was a commitment to creating a more just and viable food system at every stage and for everyone. The closing words of the gathering echoed this: “Another system IS possible!”

You can find out more about the movement, about food sovereignty and how to get involved by visiting the website www.foodsovereigntynow.org.uk

“We have come together to form a movement for Food Sovereignty in the UK. Food Sovereignty is an alternative food system that creates practical, sustainable and democratic solutions to the failed industrial food model”.

Click here to read about the pillars of food sovereignty. Here’s a taster….

1) Food Sovereignty Focuses on Food for People

Food sovereignty puts people, including those who are hungry, under occupation, in conflict zones and marginalised, at the centre of food, agriculture, livestock and fisheries policies, ensuring sufficient, healthy and culturally appropriate food for all individuals, peoples, and communities; and rejects the proposition that food is just another commodity or component for international agribusiness.

You can find out more about Gaia’s work around food sovereignty by clicking here. For a 30-minute lowdown of the impact of our industrial food system and GM, and the movement for food sovereignty which is emerging to counteract this, watch our landmark film Seeds of Freedom.