Josephine Drydale, grant recipient, pictured above.

Author: Josephine Drydale | Major: International and Global Studies

Over the course of the Spring 2022 term, I worked with Dr. Jared Phillips in studying land occupation in eastern and central Europe, land occupation’s link to food sovereignty, and the work of the peasantry movement La Via Campesina (LVC) on food sovereignty efforts in the region. Food sovereignty is generally defined as one’s right to agency over their food systems and control over their food policy. This supports small farming communities by protecting their localized food systems, their right to how their food is made and processed, and their ability to make a living in agriculture. LVC is a conglomerate of organizations supporting the peasantry, including many agricultural actors, regardless of location or demographic. I also noted the work of European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC), the organization’s European branch.

My goal was to analyze the impact of LVC on food sovereignty efforts and analyze how the organization’s work is making a difference in the food sovereignty movement in relation to land tenure. My research topic originated from my established interests in food security and food sovereignty, two concepts I learned about in courses with the International Studies Department with Dr. Phillips. Food security and food sovereignty interested me after learning more about it under Dr. Phillips and through my ability to apply it to my involvement with the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry at the University of Arkansas.

My research was conducted through an assessment of literary material on food sovereignty, scholarly publications on instances of land grabbing in Europe, and LVC’s online content that addresses the organization’s campaigns and its success in furthering the food sovereignty movement. Dr. Phillips helped me find material to support my work’s foundation and provided feedback on several sources as I collected various works for my research.

I found that land grabbing was strongly linked to aspects of international policy, government regulation, investment activity, and corrupt land sale processes that negatively affect small farming systems. I also discovered that LVC has done significant work internationally, regionally, and locally to progress the food sovereignty movement. LVC’s work has led the UN, FAO, and several national governments to adopt practices that support the food sovereignty of small agricultural actors in Europe. This research can contribute to the limited information on LVC and its work, serving as an external resource on the organization’s efforts and accomplishments in food sovereignty advocacy.

Because of the ferocity of LVC and ECVC’s advocacy online and in publication, it was a challenge to find objective material that wholly addressed LVC’s movement and fairly assessed the organization’s impacts. Because LVC’s voice is the strongest component of its work, moving past its published information to learn more about the advocacy group itself was difficult. Because of this, I spent time with other publications on food sovereignty and noted its recordings of LVC’s interactions with local agricultural actors globally. I also learned the importance of remaining critical of the source and content of publications in order remain unbiased in research.

This Honors College Research Grant allowed me to enhance my current understanding of food security and food sovereignty and the importance of these concepts for small rural communities. I learned about the significance that economic processes and international policies have on local agricultural systems and actors and how advocacy, local and global, can make an unforgettable impact on the lives of others. This research serves as a foundation for future research on food security, food sovereignty, and LVC as an agricultural advocacy movement. I plan to continue this research during my time in the University of Arkansas History 4+ 1 Masters Program.