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NGOisation and food sovereignty : unearthing the intricacies of NGO-driven food sovereignty efforts. Insights from Uganda

Byaruhanga, Ronald LU (2024) In Agriculture and Human Values
Abstract

In many places, social movements and organised networks are the primary drivers of mobilisation for food sovereignty. Elsewhere, the concept has been institutionalized and incorporated into national food policy frameworks. However, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding places where food sovereignty efforts are spearheaded by NGOised civil society. This study addresses this gap by examining five Civil Society Organisations promoting food sovereignty in Uganda through qualitative research. Through in-depth interviews, the study explores the implementation, activism, and mobilisation strategies employed by these organisations. The findings reveal that civil society organisations play a significant role in advancing food sovereignty in... (More)

In many places, social movements and organised networks are the primary drivers of mobilisation for food sovereignty. Elsewhere, the concept has been institutionalized and incorporated into national food policy frameworks. However, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding places where food sovereignty efforts are spearheaded by NGOised civil society. This study addresses this gap by examining five Civil Society Organisations promoting food sovereignty in Uganda through qualitative research. Through in-depth interviews, the study explores the implementation, activism, and mobilisation strategies employed by these organisations. The findings reveal that civil society organisations play a significant role in advancing food sovereignty in Uganda. They do so through practical initiatives such as disseminating knowledge, building capacity among smallholder farmers, promoting agroecological practices, and politicizing agricultural development through farmer mobilisation, policy advocacy, and formation of strategic alliances. Nonetheless, the study highlights critical areas for improvement. First, the need for better coordination among CSOs to create synergies that can enhance the impact and sustainability of their efforts. Second, the need to complement non-contentious strategies with more politically assertive actions to address systemic barriers. Finally, the need to forge alliances for FS among rural producers, urban consumers, and other non-farming populations. The main takeaway from these findings is that Food Sovereignty is a dynamic and context-dependent concept, requiring equally flexible strategies to promote it. Therefore, the choice of mobilisation strategies should be carefully adapted to the unique political, cultural, and economic context, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
in press
subject
keywords
Agroecology, Food sovereignty, Movement building, NGOisation, NGOs, Seed sovereignty
in
Agriculture and Human Values
publisher
Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
external identifiers
  • scopus:85206971941
ISSN
0889-048X
DOI
10.1007/s10460-024-10645-5
project
Mobilizing farmer organisations for sustainable agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.
id
bd1bc261-2fa1-4d4a-b7cf-ee2b85b979b2
date added to LUP
2024-11-01 18:14:00
date last changed
2025-04-04 13:53:58
@article{bd1bc261-2fa1-4d4a-b7cf-ee2b85b979b2,
  abstract     = {{<p>In many places, social movements and organised networks are the primary drivers of mobilisation for food sovereignty. Elsewhere, the concept has been institutionalized and incorporated into national food policy frameworks. However, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding places where food sovereignty efforts are spearheaded by NGOised civil society. This study addresses this gap by examining five Civil Society Organisations promoting food sovereignty in Uganda through qualitative research. Through in-depth interviews, the study explores the implementation, activism, and mobilisation strategies employed by these organisations. The findings reveal that civil society organisations play a significant role in advancing food sovereignty in Uganda. They do so through practical initiatives such as disseminating knowledge, building capacity among smallholder farmers, promoting agroecological practices, and politicizing agricultural development through farmer mobilisation, policy advocacy, and formation of strategic alliances. Nonetheless, the study highlights critical areas for improvement. First, the need for better coordination among CSOs to create synergies that can enhance the impact and sustainability of their efforts. Second, the need to complement non-contentious strategies with more politically assertive actions to address systemic barriers. Finally, the need to forge alliances for FS among rural producers, urban consumers, and other non-farming populations. The main takeaway from these findings is that Food Sovereignty is a dynamic and context-dependent concept, requiring equally flexible strategies to promote it. Therefore, the choice of mobilisation strategies should be carefully adapted to the unique political, cultural, and economic context, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.</p>}},
  author       = {{Byaruhanga, Ronald}},
  issn         = {{0889-048X}},
  keywords     = {{Agroecology; Food sovereignty; Movement building; NGOisation; NGOs; Seed sovereignty}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Springer Science and Business Media B.V.}},
  series       = {{Agriculture and Human Values}},
  title        = {{NGOisation and food sovereignty : unearthing the intricacies of NGO-driven food sovereignty efforts. Insights from Uganda}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10460-024-10645-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10460-024-10645-5}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}