Building solidarities and alliances between degrowth and food sovereignty movements

Different movements worldwide are resisting the hegemony of capitalism and growth-driven economics, which harm both human and non-human life and undermine democracy. Many of these movements share common goals rooted in their commitment to social-ecological transformation and could benefit from collaboration, yet they rarely work together.

Together with other authors, Michaela Pixová and Christina Plank from the BOKU Institute of Development Research recently published a paper in the Journal of Political Ecology special issue on Post-Growth Food Systems, which delves into the potential for alliances between degrowth and food sovereignty movements. While the latter contests the global food system and the destructive impacts of the agri-food industry on ecosystems and smallholders’ livelihoods, the former advocates for a planned reduction of energy and resource use to align the economy with ecological limits, reduce inequality, improve well-being, and provide alternatives to unsustainable, growth-based capitalism.

The paper is a result of collaborative effort, stemming from a workshop held at the 9th International Degrowth Conference in Zagreb, Croatia, in 2023. Emphasizing collective input and diverse perspectives, an organizing group of activists and academics invited workshop participants to co-author the paper. 

Both the workshop and collective writing served as an opportunity to explore the barriers, gaps, and differences in political and organizing traditions that might hinder collaboration across contexts, as well as how these can be overcome. For instance, the focus of the degrowth movement is primarily urban and academic, while the food sovereignty movement is mostly rural and preoccupied with grassroots struggles against hegemonic forces. Existing examples nonetheless demonstrate that bridge-builders can help the two movements identifying common language and identify opportunities for mutual solidarity and collective organizing for transformative change.

Building solidarities and alliances between degrowth and food sovereignty movements

Pixová, M., Spanier, J., Guerrero Lara, L., Smessaert, J., Sandwell, K., Strenchock, L., Lehner, I., Feist, J., Reichelt, L. & Plank, C., (2025) “Building solidarities and alliances between degrowth and food sovereignty movements”, Journal of Political Ecology 32(1): 5841. doi: https://doi.org/10.2458/jpe.5841