Governance

AFSA is governed by a National Committee made up of farmers and allies who are elected at our Annual General Meeting each year at the end of the Food Sovereignty Convergence, where we form our mandate by listening to the needs of members and collectively prioritise the work for the year ahead.

We are a not-for-profit incorporated association with ties to no political party.

Our constitution requires that:

• our president is a farmer who is actively farming,
• there are a minimum of four farmers on our National Committee,
• decisions that have a material impact on farmers are made by farmers, and
• our events are run democratically, with a preference for ‘unconference’ style gatherings that privilege all voices present rather than a select few.

The objects of AFSA are to:

• work towards global food sovereignty, asserting the right of peoples to nourishing and culturally-appropriate food produced and distributed in ecologically sound and ethical ways, and their right to collectively determine their own food and agriculture systems;
• research, publish, and disseminate information regarding food sovereignty, and campaign and lobby for food sovereignty;
• promote transparency in all aspects of the food system, including but not limited to production, processing, and distribution;
• support, enable, and promote the efforts of agroecological farmers by:
  1. connecting them for farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing;
  2. advocating for scale-appropriate regulations and standards as they relate to food and agriculture systems;
  3. supporting them in their work to control the means of production;
  4. connecting them with eaters;
  5. advocating for fair pricing for those selling domestically; and
  6. providing a voice for farmers globally who are especially vulnerable to the impacts of free trade;
• facilitate, promote, and enable the education and activities of members, affiliates, and allies;
• maintain membership with La Via Campesina and other farmer-led international food sovereignty organisations;
• build and maintain productive relationships with other local and international organisations working for food sovereignty; and
• operate as a not-for-profit entity.

Victorian producers need support for small-scale and local abattoirs

The Issue Producers in several regions have seen the closure of their local abattoirs in recent years, and have emphasised ...
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2020 National Committee Report

President’s Report 2020 has been a year like none other in living memory. For Australians, the year commenced with the ...
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Nominations to the AFSA National Committee for 2020-2021

Below are the nominations for AFSA’s 2020-2021 National Committee. Office Bearer Positions President – Tammi Jonas Renominating for the role ...
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AFSA Annual General Meeting

The Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance will hold its Annual General Meeting online, at the close of the Food Sovereignty Convergence ...
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Declaration of the IPC on the draft Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

In late February, governments and civil society organisations, along with NGO and private sector representatives convened in Rome to discuss ...
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Local Laws submission to defend the right to common resources

Last week AFSA made a submission to the Hepburn Shire Council to defend residents' rights to forage, collect firewood, have ...
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2019 President’s Report

What a delicious year of growing and eating and winning and celebrating it’s been for AFSA! And yet while the ...
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AFSA 2019 Work Plan!

Strategic Retreat, 12-14 December 2018 The National Committee of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA) met for its sixth strategic ...
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Declaration from the 2018 Food Sovereignty Convergence

We representatives of small-scale farmers, fishers, agricultural workers, indigenous peoples, women, youth, eaters, and NGOs came together from across Australia ...
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Food Sovereignty Convergence in Canberra 14-16 October!

This year's Food Sovereignty Convergence is not to be missed! We're bringing the brilliant M Jahi Chappell out to talk about how ...
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