This work aims to shed light on the participatory processes through which food sovereignty discourses are being materialised in rural contexts. By focusing on the participatory development and communication processes of two farmers’ movements in India (Deccan Development Society & Navdanya), this research contributes to the current debate about the potential of food sovereignty movements to trigger transformative social change in the food systems.
By analysing data collected through a series of interviews, focus groups, observation exercises and photo-voice, this research first describes the relationships between the discourses created by key stakeholders of both case studies, namely: farmers, community trainers and professional staff who have been promoting food sovereignty for 30 years. The discourses presented include local understandings about the relevance of biodiverse farming and seed saving, the role of women in agriculture, and empirical conceptualisations about food sovereignty.
Secondly, an analysis about the coherence between the above mentioned discourses in relation to the actual practices implemented by both movements is developed, as a way to explore the transformative potential of local discourses and practices of food sovereignty. The assessment of the practices employed by these movements is informed by selected traditions and theories of community development and participatory communication.
This research demonstrates the extent to which local practices of participatory video, community radio, direct action networks, emancipatory education, collaborative alliances, demonstrations and festivals, among others, have been supporting the construction of food sovereignty realities at the local level. The findings of this research provided useful elements to build a practice framework for transformative social change and food sovereignty, which demonstrates the crucial role of processes of dialogical, reflective, context-based, culture-centred, eco-centred and collaborative engagement as the principles that inform transformative practices to build food sovereignty.
The overall aim of this research is to determine how the discourse of food sovereignty as a transformative process for social change is being materialised into action, as well as to understand the key dynamics and practices used by the stakeholders involved. It seeks to inform community workers and communicators about the challenges and most effective ways to support food sovereignty initiatives from a participatory approach, which is synthetised in a practice framework in this paper.
Keywords: Food sovereignty, social movements, participatory communication, participatory development, transformative social change, India, Navdanya, Deccan Development Society.