Organizations Come Together to Work Toward the Common Goal of Food Sovereignty in El Salvador
By Doris Evangelista, RUMES National Coordinator. and Kristi Van Nostran, Companionship Facilitator
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Doris Evangelista, RUMES National Coordinator presenting the position of the National Roundtable for Food Sovereignty in El Salvador to a crowd in front of the Legislative Assembly during a joint action with the National Forum for Water Rights. Photo: RUMES
From the moment the Red Uniendo Manos El Salvador (RUMES) first outlined as one of its primary objectives to organize and participate in national and international advocacy campaigns toward the achievement of food sovereignty and security in El Salvador, the Directive Board suggested that the network work to draft a public policy to that end. This led us to evaluate the situation and investigate whether there were other organizations already working around this issue, and if so, how RUMES might contribute to the effort. This process of investigation and further exploration of the issue led us into several spaces in which we continuously encountered representatives from the Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Sovereignty (RASA).
We learned that RASA had already been working on a food sovereignty public policy proposal, and in order to avoid the duplication of efforts, to minimize costs and to more effectively achieve this common goal, RUMES was invited to join in this process. That is how we find ourselves on this journey. It is worth mentioning that neither RUMES nor any of its member organizations are seeking prominence or posturing, but rather we are grateful to the Creator that despite the short time the network has been in operation, we are already able to take tangible steps toward achieving food sovereignty legislation in El Salvador for those who have suffered greatly for a lack thereof.
Offering opportunities for capacity building with leaders (training trainers) in the communities in which we work has been a strategy to reach more people with fewer resources, and the network’s methodology of analysis and debate of the national reality, fostering friendship and restoring relationships through accompaniment and listening, building the foundations of community by shifting perspective from “I” to “we”, and transforming patterns of welfarism, people become agents of their own change. Through this process we have witnessed the development of understanding, sensitivity, awareness and commitment to advocate with a clear vision – without political party banners – to demand a public policy for food sovereignty and security in El Salvador.
Through this training process more and more small-scale farmers are recognizing the importance of caring for Creation. They acknowledge the importance of sustainable, agro-ecological farming, the rejection of genetically modified seeds and agro-toxins, and the diversification of crops in order to protect the soil. The local farmers express an urgent need to return to the use of native seeds, and to recover some of the alternative foods enjoyed by our ancestors and reclaim some of their farming techniques. Recognizing that individualism rather than bring people together, separates people and divides communities, but communities that organize themselves around clear and achievable objectives can achieve significant changes.
An elderly campesino put it this way: “This is not just the struggle of one, but of ALL; we will not be spectators any longer, we will take action and fight for change, not with guns and bombs as we did in the past but with a weapon far more powerful – knowledge of our rights.”
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This is the first slide in a two-month social media advocacy campaign to pressure the ratification of the constitutional reform of Article 69, initially passed by the Legislative Assembly last April, to include the Right to Adequate Food and Right to Water as explicit and undeniable Human Rights.
This process has not been easy; it has required much prayer, determination and hard work. But it has been worth it. RUMES now forms a part of the National Roundtable for Food Sovereignty in El Salvador, where our contributions are not only heard, but valued and taken into consideration. The remarkable thing about the National Roundtable is that it is a collective effort on the part of numerous organizations which were previously operating independently with very little communication or collaboration between them. Since January of this year, RUMES has been involved with the committee to bring together organizations working for food sovereignty around a common table to discuss a common agenda to reach our common goal. We recognize the importance of walking with families in the communities, the importance of promoting fellowship, unity and solidarity, and promoting advocacy as a priority, and we are committed to creating a space where the same process can take place among institutions.
RUMES is currently serving on the planning committee for the National Roundtable, alongside organizations like Oxfam, the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman, the Salvadoran Ecological Union and others, working to outline an advocacy campaign around (1) the ratification of the reformed Article 69 of the Salvadoran Constitution to explicitly include the Right to Adequate Food, (2) the drafting and enacting of a holistic Food Sovereignty, Security and Nutrition law, as well as (3) the process toward a public policy for food sovereignty. To be contributing as RUMES in such meaningful and practical ways fill us with satisfaction, and encourages us to continue advocating for food justice.
