Agroecologia e Sovranità Alimentare: aspetti costituzionali e legali in America Latina

Nowadays, food production and consumption systems continue to develop based on the characteristics enshrined in the Green Revolution-intensive farming and husbandry, using chemical fertilizers and pesticides for GMO production, exploiting resources, monocultures, export-led production and so on. These led to a worsening of the living conditions of the global population, not to mention the increase of inequalities and of the population living below the poverty line and phenomena due to climate change effects. These phenomena deeply affect Global South countries but do not leave the rest of the world untouched. According to academics, scientists and technicians, an optimal solution is offered by Agroecology, not only to reach food sovereignty but to mitigate the downsides produced by harmful industrial development. As an alternative to the current mainstream neoliberal model, Food Sovereignty proposes agroecology as an agricultural model capable of counteracting the effects of climate change, restoring the voice of small-scale farmers, empowering women and indigenous people excluded from current policies, protecting and promoting environmental biodiversity, and so on. As confirmed by several researches, agroecology would lead not only to the sustainability of the food system through inclusive growth, green growth and eco-social progress achieving the SDGs, legislation in this regard is still largely lacking and very confusing. Nevertheless, countries such as Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela made steps forward to assimilate Food Sovereignty at the constitutional levels but there is a need for a joint effort and the delineation of an international agenda that is capable of directing countries to assimilate the principles of Food Sovereignty and Agroecology, thus facilitating their diffusion -and institutionalization- at the global level. However, such process of change continues to have a bottom-up push from social movements worldwide, without consistent efforts by governments to adopt policies and draft laws countering the currently dominant neoliberal system. With a focus, firstly on the Latin American region and secondly on the international level, this research aims to analyze and investigate the issues, effects and efforts to create and introduce Agroecology and Food Sovereignty legal framework in a global context characterized by a neo-liberal structure failing to deal with population growth, the need to fight and eradicate hunger, combat climate change, redesign the balance and ensure a healthy and genuine environment for future generations.