As the images of mud cakes or clay biscuits as food in Haiti hit the media, David Moberg uncovers the sordid relationship between speculation in the futures market and the food crisis, arguing for the concept of food sovereignty which is ‘not just a redistribution of wealth but a new model of agriculture and a new model of consumption.’
Moberg states ‘agriculture and food markets aren’t like markets for clothes or automobiles. Food is a daily essential, which consumes as much as two-thirds of the income of the poorest half of the world….
Many of those poor people are also peasants who rely on food production for their livelihoods. Farming depends on the whims of nature and slowly adjusted, seasonal plans. Agriculturalists don’t merely turn out a product for the market; they play a major role in environmental conservation or degradation and the definition of people’s cultures.’
Food sovereignty advocates propose that people - local communities and nations - should have the right to make decisions about their own food regimes, including how much and what to import and export:
In These Times David Moberg

Similarly, the Institute of Science In Society (ISIS) Press Release 15/07/08 by Martin Khor highlights the need for food security policies amidst the conflict between IMF /WTO policies and the needs of developing countries drawing on new instruments such as SP (Special Products) and SSM (Special Safeguard Mechanism) to be set into WTO policy to protect food resources.