568k 
233k 
41k 
Subscribe 
The Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras
The grassroots organization the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras was created in 1979 to protect the economic, social and cultural rights of 46 Garifuna communities along the Atlantic coast of Honduras. At once Afro-descendent and indigenous, the Garifuna people are connected to both the land and the sea and sustain themselves through farming and fishing. Land grabs for agrofuels (African palm plantations), tourist-resort development and narco-trafficking seriously threaten their way of life, as do rising sea levels and the increased frequency and severity of storms due to climate change.
The Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras was created in 1979 to protect the economic, social, and cultural rights of 46 Garifuna communities along the Atlantic coast of Honduras. Photo credit: U.S. Food Sovereignty Alliance
The Garifuna, who have already survived slavery and colonialism, are now defending and strengthening their land security and their sustainable, small-scale farming and fishing. The Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras brings together communities to meet these challenges head-on through direct-action community organizing, national and international legal action, promotion of Garifuna culture and movement-building. In its work, the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras especially prioritizes the leadership development of women and youth.
“Our liberation starts because we can plant what we eat. This is food sovereignty. There is a big job to do in Honduras and everywhere, because people have to know that they need to produce to bring the autonomy and the sovereignty of our peoples. If we continue to consume [only], it doesn’t matter how much we shout and protest. We need to become producers. It’s about touching the pocketbook, the surest way to overcome our enemies. It’s also about recovering and reaffirming our connections to the soil, to our communities, to our land,” says Coordinator Miriam Miranda.
The Food Sovereignty Prize will be awarded on the evening of Oct. 14 in Des Moines, Iowa. The Food Sovereignty Prize challenges the view that simply producing more food through industrial agriculture and aquaculture will end hunger or reduce suffering. The world currently produces more than enough food, but unbalanced access to wealth means the inadequate access to food. Real solutions protect the rights to land, seeds and water of family farmers and indigenous communities worldwide and promote sustainable agriculture through agroecology. The communities around the world who struggle to grow their food and take care of their land have long known that destructive political, economic and social policies, as well as militarization.
The U.S. Food Sovereignty Alliance represents a network of food producers and labor, environmental, faith-based, social justice and anti-hunger advocacy organizations. Additional supporters of the 2015 Food Sovereignty Prize include Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom-Des Moines chapter and the Small Planet Fund.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Trace Your Food Back to the Farm With RealTimeFarms.com