April 17 is International Day of Peasant Struggle – a day to recognize and acknowledge the difficulties faced by diverse food producers in a world in which one-tenth of humanity experiences hunger. To recognize this day, Maynooth University hosted an event on April 13 to discuss and debate how to create alternative food futures in Ireland and beyond. Whether by adopting food sovereignty or some other framework, a diverse range of people in Ireland and elsewhere -- including urban and rural dwellers, peasants, landless people, small-scale farmers, and coastal communities -- are finding ways to create mechanisms that can nourish and empower food producers and consumers like never before. The task they explore is identifying and raising the profile of projects and practices that might build a sustainable, democratic, and just food system. During this one-day event, attendees contributed and shared their experiences about creating alternative food futures.
The event had three sessions. In the first, the keynote speaker was Dr. Chiara Tornaghi, a Research Fellow in Urban Food Sovereignty and Resilience at the Centre for Agroecology, Water & Resilience, Coventry University, UK. She presented a paper entitled "Food sovereignty in the food dis-abling city? The urban-rural rift and the need for an urban political agroecology." This opening session which was preceded by music from Imogen Gunner and Sean Conway and an opening address by Hanny van Geel of European Coordination Via Campesina, was given to a packed room of staff, students, and members of the general public.
The second session was a panel discussion hosted by Davie Philip of Cultivate / Cloughjordan Eco Village. Short presentations about how food sovereignty informs their work were given by, Fergal Anderson (Food Sovereignty Ireland), Rachel Dempsey (Lourdes Youth & Community Centre), Louise Fitzgerald (Young Friends of the Earth), Thais Montovani (Latin American Solidarity Centre), Michael O’Brien (Trocaire) and Ciarán McCollum (Dublin Food Co-op). Then, in the third and final session, organized by Nathalie Markiefka and Seamus Bradley (Derrbeg Community Supported Agriculture scheme), attendees discussed and debated the need for a new national land trust in Ireland. Music from Roger Whelan rounded out the day.
A short video about the event is available here:
https://youtu.be/aBMbUy7qXj8
The Creating Alternative Food Futures was organized by Dr. Alistair Fraser from the Department of Geography, Maynooth University with significant help and input from Joe Murry at Afri and Fergal Anderson from Food Sovereignty Ireland. The event was made possible thanks to support from Green Campus, Maynooth University; the Department of Geography, Maynooth University; the Department of Sociology, Maynooth University; the Maynooth University Conference and Workshop Fund; Afri and Food Sovereignty Ireland.
A follow-up event for 2018 is currently being developed. More news to follow!