Central Asia Food Sovereignty Workshop

Alga Rural Women’s NGO

By Olga Djanaeva, Rural Women's NGO "Alga", Kyrgyzstan
Convenor, RIW TF, APWLD

There was complacency about food security and national self-efficiency in Central Asia for years, as it was thought that cheaper imports would always be available and local food production was not so necessary. Many developing countries reduced food production, many of them under advice of the international financial institutions. The rising world prices of many food items in the past couple of years have meant more expensive imports and inflation of food prices in local markets.

With these developments, the paradigm of “food security” needs to shift more to “food sovereignty”.  There is also a strong need for the concept of food sovereignty to be accepted by various social movements, organizations and institutions in Central Asia.  Governments must recognize their responsibility to uphold people’s rights to food, food security and food sovereignty.

APWLD Task Force (TF) Rural and Indigenous Women (RIW) member Rural Women’s NGO “Alga’ believes that in the context of growing globalization it is of vital importance to build capacity of people’s and women’s movements to resist globalization  and to build more understanding that food sovereignty advocacy aspires not only for food security but taking back people’s control over their natural resources, their means of production, and putting people in the center, not the corporations.

NGO Alga recently organized the Central Asian Food Sovereignty Workshop.  “Alga” highly appreciates the methodological contribution of APWLD – RIW and Women and Environment (WEN) TFs, and the training module a Discussion Guide for Trainers: Globalization and Women; Women and Food Sovereignty Kit and especially the advice and recommendations of Tess Vistro, co-convener of RIW TF.

The Food Sovereignty Workshop was designed as a form of consultation of the Central Asian (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan) resource people and organizations. Methods used were lecture presentations, interactive discussions, working groups, and drama performances.   Central Asian participants provided presentations about situations of rural women and food security in their respective countries. Training materials were combined with brain storm exercises and working groups. Trainers used APWLD and Alga’s materials to strengthen advocacy skills in organization of people’s and women’s struggles against globalization and food insecurity policies. 

Participants gained  a deeper understanding of the real processes and real implications of development programs and policies of IMF, WB, WTO, ADB, TNC, along with learning the definition, general principles and political demands of the advocacy and struggle for food sovereignty. Participants were able to analyze the current situation, and identify mechanisms of protection and promotion of rural women’s rights in Central Asia.

Food sovereignty is not simply a lack of money. Food sovereignty is approached as a comprehensive concept that deals with a wide range of problems. The purpose of Alga in the activity for food sovereignty is to raise people out of situations in which they are deprived of the opportunities and self capabilities. Comprehensive assistance is to raise political, socio-cultural, economic, human, and protective capabilities of poor people through a set of various trainings, workshops, focus group and individual consultations.  For Alga it is important to be aware of the social environment of food sovereignty and poor people. Social factors that work against the poor, such as vested interests, discrimination and globalization, are responsible for the creation of problems of food sovereignty and insecurity and may impede rural people’s efforts to escape from it. An activity for food sovereignty means for Alga, a multifaceted approach that combines comprehensive initiatives targeting the rural people and especially the poor with measures designed to change the economic and social conditions.