Eighth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

While social and political movements are the scale of action most often identified with food sovereignty-related struggles, everyday practices that allow food sovereignty to be actualized through the maintenance of localized food systems often go unrecognized. Women’s economic activities are also frequently muted in profiling local economies. In this paper we examine the nexus of food sovereignty and women’s everyday practice through an analysis of gendered food economies in Afro-descendent communities in the Chocó Department of Colombia. In this region deeply affected by armed conflict, drug trafficking and state neglect, Afrocolombian communities are defending their collective territories and small-scale food production practices through regional land and marine use planning processes that include new market linkages. Drawing on interviews, a household survey and focus group data gathered in early 2018 in the municipality of Bajo Baudó, Chocó, we present a preliminary analysis of the relationships between local food sovereignty, gendered economies and everyday practice. While predominantly male activities such as commercial fishing and agriculture have received more recognition and support from state and non-state actors, women play a critical, although undervalued role, in sustaining localized food systems through their food production and harvesting activities. Recognizing women’s muted contributions provides new insights into how food sovereignty is actualized not only through regional or national mobilizations but also through everyday practices that nourish households, sustain valued relationships with local food cultures, local resources and biodiversity, and allow for greater food self-sufficiency within regional processes of market integration.