Participatory and governance processes in food sovereignty and security during the COVID-19 pandemic in Commune 1 of Medellín, 2021

Objective: To understand the participatory and governance processes surrounding food sovereignty and security that developed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Commune 1 of the Popular District of Medellín, Colombia. Methods: The study was participatory action research, through a dialogue of knowledge. A strategy aimed at community training and participation was developed, called the “School of Leaders and Managers of Food and Nutrition Sovereignty and Security”, comprised mostly of women. Grounded theory was used to analyze the qualitative data collected through 15 individual and 20 group interviews. The research process was carried out during 2021. Results: Four phenomena were identified in this training and knowledge-sharing space: the first is the worsening of food insecurity in commune 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the strategies to address it from predominantly welfare-based approaches, which have little impact on the social, economic, and cultural determinants necessary to guarantee the right to healthy food; the second is the inefficiency of institutional management in the face of the social needs of commune 1, which is immersed in a scenario of exclusion and failures to guarantee rights; The third outcome is the implementation of plans, programs, and projects that do not correspond to the territorial dynamics in which the problems manifest themselves. Finally, the influence of economic, social, and cultural determinants that influence the environment and limit the guarantee of the human right to food for the population of Commune 1 is evident. Conclusion: It was recognized that community-based forms of organization represented the main mechanism for preventing the worsening of the food crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, they represent a potential for addressing temporary and structural social and food crises.