Food Sovereignty Prize: The peoples’ alternative to the World Food Prize
Moderator’s Note: The World Food Prize was conceived by Norman E. Borlaug, one of the key figures behind the misnamed Green Revolution that led to the globalization of chemical-intensive, highly mechanized mono-crop agriculture. Since 1986, The World Food Prize has been awarded to individuals and entities (including corporations) that are seen as having “made vital contributions to improving the quality, quantity or availability of food throughout the world.” The Prize has never been granted to alternative agriculture groups or individuals that promote agroecology, permaculture, and other more sustainable and equitable forms of food production and is instead typically granted to individuals and entities promoting corporate and industrial models of agriculture. So, we have watched with a considerable amount of disgust as the World Food Prize this past June was awarded to corporate executives associated with Monsanto and Syngenta. The 2013 recipients of the prize are Robert Fraley ...