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Food sovereignty in place: Cuba and Spain

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Abstract

Attempts to democratize the food system and make it more equitable through food sovereignty take many forms across space. In Cuba, food sovereignty is perceived as the promotion of small-scale farming methods informed by agroecology and permaculture. However, these practices are mediated by discourses of self-sufficiency in the context of the US blockade. Simultaneously, in Basque country, Spain, food sovereignty shapes community-supported agriculture initiatives, farmer union and cooperative-based work, and a deep appreciation for regional foods. In this context, food sovereignty is perceived as part of the struggle to maintain Basque identity and autonomy. In this paper, I discuss how food sovereignty is defined and understood by outside actors who traveled to either Cuba or Basque country to understand how food sovereignty is being practiced in place. As educators, farmers, students, retirees, farmworker organizers, and activists meet in these spaces, I ask how do definitions of food sovereignty differ? I argue that food sovereignty ‘sits in places’ and travelers have difficulty discerning what food sovereignty is when confronted with unfamiliar practices. Findings suggest that such educational tourism is an attempt to create a meaningful space for dialogue about food sovereignty and as a touchstone it offers opportunities for participant discussions, however, understandings of food sovereignty are subject to confusion and alternate conceptions and thus, do not always travel well.

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Notes

  1. The conferences were held at Yale University in New Haven in September 2013 and at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague in January 2014. Special issues of the Journal of Peasant Studies focused on “Global Agrarian Change” (Vol. 41, no. 5 and 6) and “Commentary: Food Sovereignty: A Critical Dialogue” (Vol. 42 no. 1); Third World Quarterly, hosted “Food Sovereignty: convergence and contradictions, condition and challenges” (Vol. 36, no. 3); and Globalizations focused on “Food Sovereignty: Concept, Practice and Social Movements” (Vol. 12, no. 4). It should also be noted that Kasarinlan: Philippine Journal of Third World Studies published special issues prior to the conferences on “Food Sovereignty in South Asia” (Vol. 26 no. 1–2).

  2. Here I am not arguing whether either Spain or Cuba is practicing or achieving food sovereignty, but how people build perspectives of how food sovereignty is being practiced in these places. For further reading on the practice of food sovereignty in Cuba, see for example: Reardon and Perez (2010); Rosset et al. 2011; Leitgeb et al. (2016); in Spain see for example: Masso and Zografos (2014); Calvário (2017).

  3. I have supplemented these abbreviated histories in some cases to have a more substantive discussion, but a detailed history is not possible given the scope of this paper. I suggest these resources for further reading: Basque Country: Clark (1990); Mansvelt-Beck (2005); Woodworth (2008); Bakaikoa et al. (2011); On Cuba: Ferrer (1999); Rosset and Benjamin (2002); Gray and Kapcia (2008); Wright (2012); Frank (2015); de la Caridad McCormack Bequer (2017); Fernandez et al. (2018).

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Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the writing group in the Department of Geography and the participants in the UD Food Intersections paper workshop: Ali Alkon, Kristin Reynolds, Sarah Lyon, and Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern for their initial review of this manuscript. Additional thanks to Joe Jasper for support during fieldwork and writing. Above all, I am indebted to the tour participants for many great chats over good food and for their time following the trip as well. This paper was substantially improved through the peer review process and I am grateful to Harvey James and the anonymous reviewers for their care and generous reviews of the manuscript. Funding for the larger project from which the data in this paper is gleaned was supported by the University of Delaware: Global Area Studies Program Faculty Research Award and the General University Research Program Award.

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    Lindsay Naylor

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Naylor, L. Food sovereignty in place: Cuba and Spain. Agric Hum Values 36, 705–717 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-019-09938-x

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