Meg's update: Indigenous Forum: Food Sovereignty & Tradition:5-17-11

Today's side-event featured several panelists from indigenous communities sharing experiences of their reality, and ongoing challenges. For indigenous people food sovereignty and traditional knowledge are profoundly linked with mother earth; food sovereignty is the right of Peoples to define their own policies and strategies for the sustainable production, distribution and consumption of food, with respect for their own cultures, systems of managing natural resources and rural areas, and is considered to be a precondition for Food Security. A point highlighted was the truth, for indigenous peoples, lands, territories, resources and the environment are inextricably linked both spiritually and culturally; they have for centuries maintained a unique relationship with their environment including the protection of the environment essential for their food sovereignty and food security. The challenges faced by many communities are development schemes imposed upon their communties without consultation, agreement of participation resulting in substituting foreign or alien foods; this has created severe physical and mental problems among the communities.