INTERVIEW: Working in coalition for food sovereignty

Lucy Sharratt is the founding coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN). CBAN is a national network of farmer associations, regional coalitions and environmental and social justice groups concerned about genetic engineering in food and farming. Inter Pares has been an active member of CBAN since the network’s creation in 2006.

Interview edited for clarity and length.

Q: How did you start collaborating with Inter Pares?

A: In the mid-2000s, Inter Pares was working with farmer movements in Africa and Asia and was looking for allies to oppose the Canadian government’s promotion of GMOs in the Global South. Inter Pares was critical in pulling together a series of national meetings where groups decided to pool resources and form what would become CBAN. Civil society in Canada needed to be present for farmers, who were—and are—being confronted with genetic engineering. Because of Inter Pares’ connections with communities in the Global South, we were able to flag important global issues of concern and act on them. Our first success was to work together to strengthen the global moratorium on genetically engineered sterile seeds.

Q: How is CBAN resisting corporate control in agriculture?

A: There is a global fight over the future of food. Companies want control over everything—every organism, every system, every piece of farmland. Genetic engineering is a tool of control. It exposes how far companies will go. 

CBAN is a diverse and vibrant network, so we can really dig into the social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts of genetic engineering. The corporate, profit-driven power behind the technology has no interest in what this technology really means for farmers and their livelihoods.

Thanks to the analysis we share as a community in CBAN, we have better information about what's happening on the ground, what the impacts of genetic engineering are and what governments and companies are doing. Local knowledge, and relationships of respect and trust are essential.

Q: How have you seen the food sovereignty movement evolve over the past decade, and where do you think it's headed?

Every one of us participates in food sovereignty when we grow, eat or make food choices. We all have limitations. For example, not everyone can buy all their food from a local organic farmer. But even choosing one or two local or organic products supports alternatives. When we’re informed, we don’t just make different food choices, we also act politically, together. There’s a lot of work and resistance still needed, but the longevity of Inter Pares—50 years—and almost 20 years of CBAN shows how tenacious people are. We have a shared vision for the future and that’s very powerful.

To learn more about Inter Pares'work on food sovereignty for the last 50 years, go to https://interpares.ca/50years