DISMANTLING PATRIARCHY WHILE BUILDING FOOD SOVEREIGNTY

The document examines the intersection of food sovereignty, agroecology, and gender justice, arguing that the industrial agribusiness model relies on the patriarchal exploitation of women's labor. It advocates for a transition to agroecology and feminist economies to ensure equitable access to land, seeds, and resources, while recognizing and redistributing unpaid care work.

• The industrial food system and agribusiness are characterized as models of domination that mirror patriarchy by limiting women's participation in decision-making and restricting their access to essential resources like seeds, water, and land.
• Despite producing 50% of the world's food and 60-80% of food in developing countries, women face extreme economic inequality, owning only 2% of land and receiving 1% of all credit.
• Women are disproportionately affected by hunger and the health impacts of industrial agriculture, including exposure to toxic agrochemicals that cause endocrine disorders, cancer, and reproductive health issues.
• Agroecology is presented as a feminist tool for food sovereignty because it promotes egalitarian power relations and protects the role of women and youth in preserving native seeds and ancestral knowledge.
• A critical barrier to gender justice is the 'sexual division of labour,' where women perform vast amounts of unpaid care and domestic work—up to 14 hours a day in some rural low-income communities—which is essential to the economy but remains invisible.
• The document calls for a systemic change that includes the redistribution of care work between men, women, and the State, and the implementation of public policies to ensure women's economic autonomy and land ownership.

APA

Cordo, A. (2021). DISMANTLING PATRIARCHY WHILE BUILDING FOOD SOVEREIGNTY. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Friends-of-the-Earth-International_Dismantling-patriarchy-while-building-food-sovereignty_English.pdf

Chicago

Cordo, Azul. DISMANTLING PATRIARCHY WHILE BUILDING FOOD SOVEREIGNTY. Friends of the Earth International, 2021. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Friends-of-the-Earth-International_Dismantling-patriarchy-while-building-food-sovereignty_English.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Cordo |first1=Azul |title=DISMANTLING PATRIARCHY WHILE BUILDING FOOD SOVEREIGNTY |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=December 2021 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Friends-of-the-Earth-International_Dismantling-patriarchy-while-building-food-sovereignty_English.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cordo2021dismantling, author = {Cordo, Azul}, title = {{DISMANTLING PATRIARCHY WHILE BUILDING FOOD SOVEREIGNTY}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Friends-of-the-Earth-International_Dismantling-patriarchy-while-building-food-sovereignty_English.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }