ABSTRACT
The Food Sovereignty Movement (FSM) emerged in part in resistance to the model of globalization that was institutionalized in the Uruguay Round of trade agreements (URA) and the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995. Since its inception, the FSM has contested the WTO’s legitimacy as an institution for the governance of food and agriculture. The connection between the FSM’s origins and its rejection of the WTO has created the impression that the movement is opposed to international trade. This is inaccurate; the movement has objected to the privileged place given to trade in food and agriculture policy and law, and has objected to the multilateral rules that govern trade, but the FSM is not opposed to trade per se. Nonetheless, it is our view that there is confusion about what
Sophia Murphy is the grateful recipient of a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship and a scholarship from the Trudeau Foundation. She thanks both for their support. Kim Burnett expresses gratitude to the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Council for a Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship, #767-2008-1014 and to the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ontario for funding through Balsillie Fellowships. The authors also thank Stuart Clark for his comments on the paper and Hannah Wittman for helping put the paper on track early on in the process. The article is in large part the result of many years of conversation, debate and heated argument with many, many people in many parts of the world. The authors are indebted to all who took the time to engage. Thank you.
