State-initiated food sovereignty : the case of Cuba’s special period

Abstract

The persistence of the global recession and rising food costs have strengthened the argument that food sovereignty is the solution to global hunger. But is food sovereignty even possible in the context of a globalized free-market world? Has food sovereignty, as it is defined by the Food Sovereignty paradigm, ever been achieved? These are important questions to answer if food sovereignty is to be approached as the solution to the rising social, ecological, and economic issues that have become global concerns. This thesis aims to answer these questions by assessing the degree to which Cuba achieved food sovereignty during its special period of 1990 – 1996, in accordance with the Six Pillars of Food Sovereignty. Additionally, this study operationalizes the criteria for food sovereignty into an analytical framework through Karl Polanyi’s concepts of fictitious commodities. This study finds that Cuba achieved a high level of food sovereignty during the special period.