Alimentary sovereignty as a political concept

Abstract

The political and social debate concerning alimentary sovereignty leads the author to question the origin, meaning and foundations of the concept of sovereignty itself. “Sovereignty”, of course, is a concept that pertains to political philosophy and theories of the State, so its application in relation to food takes us beyond that classic approach by prefiguring a global confrontation between social movements –including the broad participation of indigenous and peasant initiatives– and transnational networks of agribusiness. The article analyzes the relationship between alimentary security and sovereignty, evaluates the institutional dimension that presupposes the inclusion of the concept of food sovereignty in the political Constitutions of Ecuador and Bolivia, and discusses the geopolitics of hunger. It concludes with a proposal to consider food sovereignty as a new “global public good” that should take its place as part of the political philosophy of the 21st century, just as occurred with the concept of “national sovereignty” in earlier centuries.