Japan Press Weekly

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2009 March 18 - 24 [AGRICULTURE]

Japanese and South Korean farmers’ organizations together call for food sovereignty to be established

Leaders of Japanese and South Korean organizations representing progressive farmers’ movements in each country held a meeting in Tokyo on March 23 to discuss efforts to establish food sovereignty.

In the “Japan-South Korea Forum on Food Safety” jointly sponsored by the Japan Family Farmers Movement (NOUMINREN) and the Korean Peasant League,” about 60 participants shared experiences and lessons learned in their movements. Issues discussed included consumers’ concerns about the safety of foreign foods, the importance of using local produce for school lunch programs, the movement of direct shipments of produce to consumers, and the Japanese movement of collaboration between agricultural producers and consumers led by the National Coalition of Workers, Farmers and Consumers for Safe Food and Health in Japan (Shokkenren).

Stressing that the trade liberalization policy and neo-liberalism are failing, Sakaguchi Masaaki (Shokkenren secretary general)said, “We will overcome their adverse effects” by further developing cooperation between the Japanese and South Korean movements to improve the self-sufficiency rate in food, revitalize rural economies, and establish food sovereignty.