Food and Nutrition Sovereignty from the perspective of a Territorial Observatory

Abstract

Latin America and the Caribbean is the region that have made the most progress in including food sovereignty in legislation, public policies and regional instruments; but despite this progress, the latest available data on hunger and malnutrition in the region is not favorable. Today's reality demands more than ever a joint effort to reverse the regression, return to the path of progress and ensure the full realization of the right to food. In line with this demand and the circumstances in which Cuba finds itself, the country's highest leadership has elaborated, and indicated the urgent priority, of developing a Plan for Food Sovereignty and Nutritional Education, one of its objectives being the construction of an Observatory. This study aims to find out the main characteristics that should be considered in the construction of an Observatory that supports this national projection, but with a local focus. It uses theoretical and empirical methods for document review and knowledge systematization. Among its results, the main characteristics that distinguish it from governance and local management, from infocommunication and from value chains, are highlighted. The research warns that its development cannot be seen as a new state assignment or as just another task. There must be sensitivity to the need for it and the shortcomings in this regard, which limit the ability to resolve and predict many problems in a territory.