In a world that produces enough food for every man, woman and child to eat a daily balanced diet, about 860 million people do not have enough food to lead healthy and productive lives. Another 100 million may soon join them.

These stark numbers are the result of a global food system which for more than 30 years has rewarded farmers in the Global South for growing food for export at the expense of supplying local food markets.

While global agricultural yields have increased, hunger in the Global South has not decreased. Hunger is caused by poverty, not scarcity.

The goals of food sovereignty include providing for local needs in an ecologically sound way that respects local biodiversity, national differences in food production and support for small-scale farmers.