Food Democracy is a concept that brings together farmers, concerned citizens and agricultural scientists. It defines a framework in which the people of a country actively participate in the food system and the policies that surround it. The movement began in the mid-1990s as a response to the increasing corporate control and lack of consumer participation in the food system. To relate this back to biodiversity, it allows farmers to grow local varieties that are otherwise lost in cultivating monocultures, it gives the people the right to say no to genetically modified species and gives them control over traditional knowledge and can choose the direction in which agricultural research should head. Conserving biodiversity thus becomes a collective responsibility, guided by the concern of healthy lifestyles and balanced eco-systems on the farm.
In India,Vandana Shiva is the ambassador for agro-biodiversity and food democracy. Her foundation Navdanya, provides the farmers from the foothills of the Himalayas to conserve plant species in a seed-bank, gives them the opportunity to practice bio-diverse farming and has set up learning centers where traditional and innovative knowledge is exchanged. They have also empowered women across generations, who are the custodians of cultural knowledge and wisdom through the Grandmother's University.
A global initiative that one can draw inspiration from is Excluded Voices. Their food democracy movements across the globe have brought farmers and agricultural scientists together to share knowledge and opinions about the future of agriculture. Participatory videos and maps helped the farmer groups document traditional methods of farming and endemic varieties of plants and animals. They used role play to understand perspectives of key players in the food production system. Citizen Juries help create a collective voice that demands food sovereignty. They even brought together farmer groups from various countries as a gesture of solidarity and pride.
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