Food sovereignty and property in Cuba and the United States

Food sovereignty promotes agroecological farming methods and the reduction of food insecurity through changing political relations between people, land and food policy. Market orientations to land and private property in liberal democracies restrict access to food, and thus for food sovereigntists, reframing the social relationship to land through property is key to making food more available. This paper examines the case of usufruct land rights in Cuba as a framework for reworking land rights. We identify key limitations that impair producer autonomy, suggesting how different orientations toward property present unique problems and potential solutions towards the goal of food sovereignty.