Food First

Food First
Name	Food First
Formation	1975
Founders	Frances Moore Lappé; Joseph Collins; Peter Rosset
Headquarters	Oakland, California
Type	Nonprofit research and advocacy
Focus	Food security, agroecology, food sovereignty

Food First Food First is a nonprofit research and policy center founded in 1975 that focuses on hunger, agroecology, and food sovereignty through research, advocacy, and education. Founded by activists and scholars associated with movements like World Hunger Year, Institute for Policy Studies, and early La Via Campesina organizers, the organization has worked alongside grassroots groups, universities, and international agencies to challenge dominant models promoted by institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and multinational agribusiness firms like Monsanto. Its work connects historical debates involving figures and organizations such as Frances Moore Lappé, E. F. Schumacher, Cesar Chavez, Vandana Shiva, and Miguel Altieri to contemporary campaigns tied to Climatic Research Unit controversies, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and regional movements in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.

History

Food First was established in 1975 by activists and scholars influenced by social movements including The Hunger Project, Oxfam, and the anti-war networks of the 1960s and 1970s. Early collaborations linked the center to policy debates involving the United Nations Development Programme, the Green Revolution, and critiques advanced by authors like Paul Ehrlich and Herman Daly. During the 1980s and 1990s Food First engaged with campaigns responding to structural adjustment programs implemented by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank that affected rural communities in regions such as Central America, South Asia, and West Africa. The organization has since deepened ties to movements including La Via Campesina, indigenous networks like the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, and academic programs at institutions such as University of California, Berkeley and Cornell University.

Philosophy and Goals

Food First advances a political economy analysis of hunger that draws on thinkers and organizations such as Karl Polanyi, Amartya Sen, Frances Moore Lappé, and critics of neoliberalism like David Harvey. Its goals emphasize food sovereignty as articulated by La Via Campesina, agroecology promoted by scholars like Miguel Altieri and activists like Vandana Shiva, and rights-based frameworks exemplified by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Committee on World Food Security. The center argues for decentralized, peasant-led food systems linked to land rights struggles in contexts such as Brazil, India, and Ethiopia, and promotes policy shifts away from patents and biotechnology regimes advocated by firms like Syngenta and policy actors in the World Trade Organization.

Programs and Initiatives

Food First runs programs that connect academic research to grassroots organizing, including training modeled on approaches from Grassroots International and Food Not Bombs. Initiatives have involved community agroecology projects inspired by Campesino a Campesino exchanges, land reform campaigns paralleling efforts in Zimbabwe and Ecuador, and public education efforts similar to those by Public Citizen and Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Campaigns often intersect with climate justice coalitions that include groups such as 350.org and Friends of the Earth and participate in international fora like sessions of the UN Human Rights Council and UN Food Systems Summit.

Research and Publications

The organization produces books, policy briefs, and reports connecting empirical case studies to theoretical debates exemplified by publications from Oxford University Press and think tanks like Brookings Institution and Center for International Policy. Food First publications often critique technology-centered strategies associated with Green Revolution boosters and corporate agendas promoted by Cargill and Bayer. Research collaborations have linked the center to academics at Harvard University, University of California, Davis, Stanford University, and international researchers associated with CIP (International Potato Center) and CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture). The center also curates multimedia resources and curricula used in community education alongside partners such as K-12 Coalition initiatives and university extension programs.

Impact and Criticism

Food First has influenced policy dialogues on food sovereignty, land rights, and agroecology, contributing to debates within institutions like the UN Committee on World Food Security and advocacy networks including La Via Campesina and Global Exchange. Supporters cite the center's role in elevating peasant voices in international negotiations and linking academic research to grassroots organizing exemplified by campaigns in Honduras, Mexico, and Kenya. Critics, including proponents of biotechnology and trade liberalization linked to World Trade Organization policy circles and corporate-funded research institutes, argue that Food First underestimates potential productivity gains from industrial agriculture championed by firms like Monsanto and think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation. Debates also reflect tensions present in literature by scholars like Jared Diamond and policy analysts at IFPRI.

Organizational Structure and Funding

Food First operates as a nonprofit research institute with a board of directors, staff researchers, and volunteer networks similar in structure to organizations like Oxfam America and Human Rights Watch. Funding sources have included individual donors, philanthropic foundations comparable to Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation, and revenue from publications and events; critics have scrutinized funding transparency as they do with other NGOs such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace. The center maintains partnerships with academic programs at institutions including University of Michigan and Tufts University for fellowships and joint research.

Partnerships and Advocacy

Food First partners with a broad array of social movements, NGOs, and academic networks, including La Via Campesina, Friends of the Earth International, Transnational Institute, and university-based programs like Land Tenure Center. Its advocacy activities align with campaigns around the Right to Food, agrarian reform movements in Latin America, and coalitions addressing corporate concentration in agribusiness involving groups such as Public Citizen and US Food Sovereignty Alliance. Through collaborations with international bodies like the United Nations and regional organizations such as the Organization of American States, the center amplifies community-led policy proposals in national and global policy arenas.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in California Category:Food security Category:Agroecology