Abstract:
Food sovereignty refers to people’s right to healthy and culturally appropriate food
and their ability to define their own food systems. However, as an unexpected result
of the green revolution and agricultural change in Sri Lanka, the peasants’ right to
food has been declined. Now some youth groups in Sri Lankan peasantries have
started agricultural revitalization movements to reclaim their right to define their own
food systems. Therefore, this research has focused on how potential job seekers in
their young adulthood in Sri Lankan peasantries claim food sovereignty while
strengthening the social capital. Using a constructing grounded theory, four case
studies were conducted alongside in-depth interviews with seventeen participants, in
addition to the empirical observations. The analysis indicates that despite the positive
changes in the cognitive orientation among young adults on authentic food production
that can enhance their capacity to claim the right to food sovereignty, sustenance of
the revitalization movement is heavily reliant on their ability to ensure both bridging
and bonding social capital, that is established through constructed symbolic capital
facilitated by effective and appropriate use of social media platforms. The endeavour
to build food sovereignty in rural communities in Sri Lanka is challenging because of
the difficulty of creating a positive image of ‘farmers’, an essential element of valuing
food producers. In conclusion, this study has found that symbolic capital (constructed
through engaging in social media platforms) has the potential to transform negatively
conditioned thoughts on ‘farming and food producers’ into positive thoughts, so that
farming and food producers are socially honoured and reputed to move forward
establishing food sovereignty in Sri Lankan peasantries.
