The global and the local: The politics and struggles of food sovereignty diffusion in the Philippines

The study looks at the role of social movements in the Philippines as mediators in the diffusion process of a global political project like food sovereignty. The central research question lies in the assumption that diffusion of food sovereignty at the national level is a site of contentious politics - subject to socio-political dynamics and historical context of a country as well as the relations and interactions of social movements within themselves and with the State. Using qualitative methods like discourse analysis and semi structured interviews, the paper concludes that food sovereignty is both a site of discursive and material struggle between and among key actors. Further, the study posits that food sovereignty diffusion is neither vertical - top-down or bottom-up - nor horizontal process. It is an iterative process – one which is subject to various (re)interpretations, adaptations, adoptions at the global, national and local fronts by different groups.