Food sovereignty, gender and everyday practice: the role of Afro-Colombian women in sustaining localised food systems

Abstract

While social and political movements are the scale of action most often identified with food sovereignty-related struggles, everyday provisioning practices are critical for sustaining the distinctiveness and relative autonomy of localised food systems. We examine gendered provisioning in a Colombian, Afro-descendent community as a case study of how food sovereignty is enacted in daily life. Women's everyday food provisioning practices nourish households, sustain socio-cultural and ecological relationships, and maintain greater self-sufficiency within market economy integration processes. Deeper analysis of gendered provisioning highlights complexities, power relationships and challenges within localised food systems and refines understandings of gender dimensions of food sovereignty.

Trabajo Social territorial: interacciones familiares y comunitarias para la producción frutícola de durazno en Tuta, Boyacá

“…A partir de lo señalado, se observa que las interacciones con el territorio se encuentran marcadas por el género al prevalecer atributos como el cuidado en las actividades asignadas a la mujer y características de fuerza física a las labores ejecutadas por los hombres, este aspecto establece desigualdades en el relacionamiento de los integrantes de la familia con su entorno. De acuerdo con lo anterior, Farah-Quijano y Pérez-Correa ( 2003) indican que existe una desvalorización del papel de la mujer rural en la economía campesina a pesar de su participación activa en actividades productivas, reproductivas y comunitarias; no obstante, su rol en este contexto resulta determinante porque fortalece los procesos de soberanía alimentaria y la generación de economías autónomas para su desarrollo vital y el del hogar (Turner, Idrobo, Desmarais y Peredo, 2020).…”

Credit, land and survival work in rural Cambodia: Rethinking rural autonomy through a feminist lens

“…Feminist analyses of women's distinct contribution to the forging of autonomy tend to argue for greater valourization of women's gendered material provisioning (see, e.g. Turner et al, 2020) rather than interrogating how this may resituate autonomy itself for different gendered subjects, and crucially, without foregrounding the gendered labour that goes into male‐centred projects of social change. Varied and everyday strategies for autonomy, and processes leading to autonomy, are less interrogated within accounts evidencing rural autonomy.…”

Feeding the City and Making the Revolution: Women and Urban Agriculture in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)

“…2017; Turner et al. 2020). In particular, the analysis of women’s daily food provisioning activities is an overlooked aspect in the food sovereignty literature (Turner et al.…”

“…In particular, the analysis of women’s daily food provisioning activities is an overlooked aspect in the food sovereignty literature (Turner et al. 2020). We add to new and ongoing debates about the role of women in food sovereignty by detailing the role of women in struggles over food, and how they relate to bottom‐up organisation, mutual aid practices, and the fight against social subordination and gender inequalities.…”