What is Food Justice?
Food justice would exist if all people had access to adequate food at all times. It's the idea that society should arrange its relationships so everyone can have sufficient food.
If you've ever asked "Why are people hungry?" then you're interested in food justice.
So - why are people hungry? Often, it's a result of poverty. But poverty is exacerbated by other issues, like environmental factors, economic factors, and policies that do not serve the most vulnerable to hunger. Many people living in poverty are often rural people, who are unable to put anything aside for times when crops fail, jobs are lost, or the price of seeds, tools, and food rises.
The impact of globalization has meant that global rules play an increasingly important role in the lives of people everywhere, including small-scale farmers in developing countries. These farmers have the potential to feed not only themselves, but many others. Without global rules that provide justice for all people, the prospects for long-term solutions to hunger are dim.
In the pursuit of food justice, the Foodgrains Bank joins with other voices, Christian and otherwise, in researching and promoting rules that provide long term solutions to hunger and poverty. The Food Justice Network is made up of staff, members, supporters and friends of Canadian Foodgrains Bank who are open to visiting or writing letters to politicians based on careful analysis of what kinds of rules need changing at the policy level to make the world of sharing food more just.
Click here to join the Food Justice Network.
Villagers in Bihar, India discuss their right to food with a Foodgrains study tour group.