The Political Economy of 'Food Security': Beyond Neoliberal Globalism and the Loss of Sovereignty

Professor Gerardo Otero, Sociology and Latin American Studies, Simon Fraser University and Centre for Advanced Studies Highfields Fellow for Spring 2012, will give a lecture on the subject of:
The Political Economy of 'Food Security': Beyond Neoliberal Globalism and the Loss of Sovereignty

The neoliberal reformation of capitalism in the 1980s placed strong pressure on the agricultural sectors of the world to join the corresponding process of withdrawal of state supports and trade liberalization—except that advanced capitalist countries have all retained hefty subsidies. The neoliberal dictum was that food security was to be attained via international trade rather than protected domestic markets.

With Mexico as the anchoring case study, Professor Otero will compare and contrast agricultural production and trade in several emerging economies (Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico and Turkey) to assess the extent of their food sovereignty or dependency. He will argue that food sovereignty is causally related to labour sovereignty defined as the ability of each nation to provide with living wages for a vast majority of its labour force. Of all countries compared, including the United States as the world’s agricultural powerhouse, Mexico is the only one to clearly meet the description of a basic-foods dependent country, which heightens its food insecurity, and is hence the one that expels the largest rate of migrants. This status has had devastating consequences on food security after the global food crisis of 2008.

All welcome – refreshments will be provided.