CAFOD Partner honoured at Food Sovereignty Prize awards
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Lalith Randeniarachchi (centre) receives the Food Sovereignty Prize award on behalf of NAFSO in New York [Stuart Ramson/Insider Images]
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CAFOD partner NAFSO's steering committee with their Food Sovereignty award.
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NAFSO provides help for fishing communities and built the house they are living in after the 2004 Tsunami [Patrick Nicholson]
A long-standing CAFOD partner from Sri Lanka has been singled out at the Food Sovereignty Prize awards in New York. The ceremony took place on 10 October, publicly honouring community organisations that promote food sovereignty.
Food sovereignty means that people everywhere should have access to adequate supplies of healthy food, produced by sustainable methods. It argues for farmers having the right to choose the crops and varieties they want to grow, rather than being dictated to by financial markets or large corporate food businesses. Similarly the concept of food sovereignty holds that fishing communities should be defended against destructive fishing practices.
NAFSO (National Fisheries Solidarity Movement) defends the rights of small fishermen and promotes good environmental practice in coastal areas of Sri Lanka. They received an honourable mention and a cash prize.
After the 2004 Tsunami, NAFSO helped fishing communities rebuild their lives, helping with housing, equipment and boats. They also help communities to exercise their legal rights and lobby the government. Recently they helped a fishing community to take legal action against a proposal to build a five-star hotel on a mangrove where fish spawn – a vital natural resource for over 3,000 families.
“For us, this is a great recognition from the people who really engage in food sovereignty in the world,” says Herman Kumara, the national convenor of NAFSO. “It is an appreciation of our work with small scale food producers, and of course small scale fisher people in particular.
At the same time, I think this sends a strong message to those who are trying to undermine our work. It’s a great encouragement to NAFSO members and activists. It shows we’re moving in the right direction and need to continue to serve the people. We’ve reaffirmed our commitment and dedication to the cause of the people and we’re energized by these achievements.”
