Food sovereignty in Bolivia
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Food sovereignty is a highly influential idea in Bolivian political discourse. It is incorporated into multiple pieces of Bolivian legislation, including the 2009 constitution drafted underneath president Evo Morales.[1][2] Food sovereignty fits into Morales' larger goal of the symbolic decolonization of Bolivia.[1][3] First coined by indigenous and peasant worker advocacy organization Via Campesina, food sovereignty is the right for a state's people to produce and distribute culturally appropriate foods without the impingement of economic pressures created by foreign agribusiness producers.[3] The presence of foreign agribusiness in Bolivia can be traced back to exploitative resource extraction that proliferated in South America with 19th century liberalism.[3] Modern-day wholesale agribusiness production makes competition difficult for Bolivia's small-scale farmers, who often take out high-interest loans and consequently accumulate debt.[1][3][4]
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In Bolivia, indigenous peasant groups and government actors emphasize the value of traditional indigenous agricultural practices, the conservation of Bolivia's agricultural biodiversity, and the strengthening of internal markets as benefits of food sovereignty.[1][2][5] The government's prioritization of strengthening Bolivia's economy through food sovereignty can contradict indigenous peasant priorities to alleviate rural poverty and restore the ability to make a living off of farmers' own home-plots.[1][4]