ABSTRACT
The efforts by the citizens of Sedgewick, Maine, are linked conceptually to peasant movements that operate under the banner of food sovereignty to end hunger and poverty. The primary effort of these movements is to establish authority for decisionmaking that would support viable agricultural livelihoods for millions of the world’s peasants, and thus guaranteeing them a certain right to food. The United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, Article 25(1), asserts that ‘everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing… ’ (United Nations, 2014) Yet, in spite of state-based food security programs, an estimated 870 million people do not have enough food to meet their needs and suffer from chronic undernourishment (UNFAO 2013). The vast majority of people suffering from hunger and hunger related causes live in the least developed countries, and all people suffering from hunger in either the developed or developing world live in extreme poverty and may receive some form of food aid. Many of those in the developing world are landless former peasants or farmers struggling to live off the exports of commodities to the global North. Clearly, the right to food is not a guarantee, and it is available only to those who are willing and able to pay for, or otherwise receive, legally sanctioned food.
