Introduction: Indigenous peoples’ food systems have weakened as a result of pressures exerted by agro-commercial policies and chains, which has led to the dependency and deterioration of their ways of life. It is in this context that the construction of perspectives on food autonomy positions itself as a potential and strategic field of social decolonial mobilization for indigenous peoples’ health and buen vivir. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the meanings of food autonomy from the perspectives of a Nasa Indigenous community in Colombia. Method: This was a qualitative study, involving 38 Indigenous people belonging to the Nasa Huila Indigenous community, aged between 18 and 73, with different occupations. The information was obtained by means of discussion groups and processed through content analysis. The project had the consent and ethical endorsement of the indigenous community. Results: According to the study group, food autonomy is related to the Nasa identity, today weakened by territorial conditions, proximity to non-indigenous populations and the external influence of institutional food programs. Food autonomy develops by means of practices aimed at the production, distribution, preparation and consumption of healthy, chemical-free, homegrown food products from the family level, for self-consumption and in resistance to dependence on external commercial chains. Conclusion:Food autonomy positions itself as a community and political strategy that integrates the strengthening of family gardens, the adaptation of a food program menu, education and governance towards the development of autonomous processes from a decolonial perspective, for the promotion of health and buen vivir.

En el mundo contemporáneo se gestan cambios hacia una forma de vida sencilla, menos consumista, más tranquila y en armonía con la naturaleza. Varios de estos cambios están ligados a luchas históricas de resistencia indígena frente a la brutalidad invasora y a la pretensión de desconocer o desaparecer su legado; también el movimiento campesino ha hecho aportes destacados en la misma dirección. Por limitaciones propias de este tipo de manuscritos, la reflexión se centrará en dos categorías, autonomía alimentaria y salud desde una perspectiva indígena. Según la comunidad Nasa, estos dos términos se asocian con una buena vida, sustentable y en equilibrio con la madre tierra. La autonomía alimentaria, asociada a la producción de alimentos locales, con semillas propias y sistemas de cultivo, recolección y preparación originarios, no solo produce bienestar o buen vivir para los humanos; también contribuye al cuidado del territorio, condiciones fundamentales para la armonía y la buena salud. En este sentido, toma relevancia trabajar la autonomía alimentaria desde el ámbito local, con proyección nacional e internacional.