Water Justice and Food Sovereignty in Cotopaxi,Ecuador

Abstract

Abstract

Cotopaxi province is home to some of the largest broccoli plantations in Ecuador, and this crop continues to be a focus of export efforts and agricultural policy in the country. These plantations tend to occupy the best land in the region, in areas that have fertile soil and are easy to irrigate—marginalizing smaller communities and perpetuating histories of dispossession. Industrial irrigation is facilitated by historic water rights that greatly limit the amount of water available to nearby indigenous and campesino farming communities. In response to these inequalities, some communities have mobilized and accessed external support enabling them to construct their own irrigation systems. Others, however, are without the facilities to do so and consequently continue to struggle with soil erosion and field desertification. This article documents unequal access to water in Cotopaxi's Alpamalag Valley and compares the experiences of two communities located close to the Selva Alegre broccoli plantation, including their collective responses to these environmental injustices. It outlines principles of “food sovereignty” as they appear in Ecuador's Constitution—including redistribution of productive resources such as land and water, promoting equity and solidarity among food producers and consumers, and impeding monopolistic practices—and examines their potential for environmental justice concerns among rural populations, especially those who face entrenched relations of domination and intersecting inequalities.