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The idea of every human being’s ’right to food’ is nothing new these days, however, looking specifically at this idea in relation to Indigenous Peoples is an exciting and important movement that is gaining steam fast, and rightfully so. International conferences, under the title Indigenous Terra Madre, have been held across the globe first in Sweden in 2011 and then India to explore topics related to Indigenous food sovereignty and better spread the vast agricultural knowledge that has been passed down through Indigenous communities for generations.

Voices of Maize, by CS Radio Producer Shaldon Ferris. The importance of maize in South African culture is impossible to overstate. Listen to Shaldon Ferris describe some of the uses of this staple in his culture, and the variety cultures found throughout South Africa.

Dr. Daphne Miller from the University of California tells us that Indigenous Peoples who eat the diets of their ancestors are immune to many chronic diseases.  Indigenous diets are also suited to local environments: farmers farm in a cycle, use different kinds of seeds, conserve water, engaging practices that are not only sustainable and organic but also regenerative.

Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar and Jagat Dong from Nepal, for Cultural Survival after attending the Indigenous Terra Madre conference held in November, 2015 in Meghalaya, North East India.

Researcher Elizabeth Hacker describes research about how Indigenous individuals create their own frameworks to define "well-being" to counter Western ideas of well-being. She found three important concepts for Indigenous well being are, Meeting basic material needs; social harmony and sense of belonging; and cultural identity. Dev and Elizabeth discuss examples from her research in India and Kenya.

Participants discuss what food sovereignty means for Indigenous Peoples. Speakers include Native American activist, and author Dr. Winona Laduke, and Dr. Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend, Global Coordinator of the ICCA Consortium, and David Strelneck, Senior Advisor at Ashoka Foundation.

Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar and Jagat Dong from Nepal, for Cultural Survival after attending the Indigenous Terra Madre conference held in November, 2015 in Meghalaya, North East India.

Interviewees discusses the main challenges to food security for a rising global population. Dhrupad Choudhury of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, argues that Indigenous farmers are doing important work to tackle challenges the world is facing today due to climate change. Indigenous farmers have the building blocks of stress tolerant crops, as well as sustainable agricultural practices because they are dependent only on the resources available to them.

Dr. Winona LaDuke describes her practices experimenting with various types of maize.

The Slow Food movement was founded in Italy in 1986 to promote an alternative to fast food.

Analee Johnson, Sami, of Sweden, says that the Slow Food movement believes that the food we produce should be good, clean, and fair. She gives an example of marketing Sami traditional food of Reindeer meat.

Bibhudutta Sahu, of the North East Slow Food & Agrobiodiversity Society explains that local food is always the best, because mother nature has been kind enough to provide us what we need.

Dayamani Barla, Indigenous tribal journalist and activist from Jharkland, India, discusses how Indigenous Peoples have been displaced from their traditional farming lands in the name of dams, mining and other development projects.

Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar and Jagat Dong from Nepal, for Cultural Survival after attending the Indigenous Terra Madre conference held in November, 2015 in Meghalaya, North East India.

Dr. Dawn Lavell-Harvard (Anishinaabe, Canada) explains how the concerns that have been labeled as “women’s issues” are in fact central to the progress of Indigenous rights. Often, concerns such as domestic abuse, schooling, and healthcare are often sidelined in favor of focusing on issues that are seen as more universal. Dr. Lavell-Harvard places them at the center of her activism efforts, showing that there is no need to compromise or postpone the rights of Indigenous women in Indigenous movements globally.

Producer: Avexnim Cojti

This program is dedicated to Joan Carling, an activist from the Kankanaey people of the Philippines. She has served as an Expert Member on the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues during 2014 and 2016, and as the Secretary General of the Asia Indigenous Pact. In this interview, she explains the benefits of the participation of Indigenous Peoples in local and global decision-making, which would bring a diversity of perspective and solutions to pressing issues.

Producer: Avexnim Cojti

Vicky Tauli-Corpuz (Igorot Kankanaey, Philippines), a long-time activist and UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, shares her experience with successes of small, local groups reaching out to the international community to collaborate in better defending their rights. She explains how her experience as a nurse led to community engagement, which quickly turned into a passion for advocating for the needs of community members as an activist.

Producer: Avexnim Cojti