Food Sovereignty and the Possibilities for an Equitable, Just and Sustainable Food System

Abstract

The concepts of food security and food sovereignty help explain some of the problems associated with the global economy and global agricultural produc- tion. However, these concepts are expressed differently due to the specific eco- nomic, social, political, and environmental geographies in which they exist. Any locale around the globe will face challenges in implementing and ensuring food security and food sovereignty due to a variety of issues including the changing nature of land usage, the ever-expanding commodity chains of agricultural prod- ucts, the trends and whims of the global consumer, and accessibility of healthy and adequate resources for the entire population. This chapter addresses the specific challenges that one particular locale, Aotearoa New Zealand, needs to negotiate in order to achieve a more secure and sovereign food landscape. Challenges include socioeconomic disparity, cultural appropriateness, and domestic agricultural self-sufficiency, all of which are further troubled by discourses of a “pure” Aotearoa New Zealand.