Peasant Food Sovereignty in Guasca: Caught Between Plantations and Rural Gentrification

Abstract

This article examines how the expansion of plantations and rural gentrification in Guasca, Colombia, undermines peasant food sovereignty, with a focus on its disproportionate impacts on women and feminized bodies. Through ethnographic research, it reveals how these dynamics contribute to water insecurity and depeasantization. The ‘water factory’ narrative has fueled plantation growth, leading to water shortages, fractured social networks, and the erosion of traditional food practices, all of which threaten local food sovereignty. The study highlights the increased burdens on women, who face greater care responsibilities and heightened challenges in securing food and water. By using a feminist political ecology lens, the research advances discussions on depeasantization and stresses the importance of including historically relegated groups in food sovereignty debates. It also uncovers systemic issues and local resistance strategies, offering new insights into these global challenges.

Keywords

• rural gentrification
• food sovereignty
• plantations
• water factory
• depeasantization
• rural landscapes
• guasca