ABSTRACT
This thesis focuses on the interrelationship between food sovereignty, food self-sufficiency and the neoliberal market. These relationships have been discussed within the context of food security in Afro-Asian relations (in this case Cameroon and South Korea) since these relations are often centered on food resource issues. The findings reveal that food self-sufficiency and domestic production are minimized in favor of neoliberal markets. The result is a vulnerable state that is unable to stand on its feet in crisis times. For Cameroon, it is even a more serious problem owing to the state’s failure to explicitly include food sovereignty policies within its constitutional framework.
It is commonly believed that reliance on the external markets constitutes a challenge to a country’s sense of self-determination. This research argues that choosing this option as a solution to domestic challenges is the fundamental cause behind the growing food insecurity and food vulnerability in Cameroon, a glaring example is the lack of food policy that attends to issues of self-sufficiency. The obvious consequence is the inability to provide food security to Cameroonians.
An urgent renewal of the state’s consciousness and the prioritization of food sovereignty in this rapidly globalizing world are therefore imperative and must be central in deciding the pace of relations with other nations. This is also the key to addressing the domestic implications of economic and social instabilities within the country after the 2008 food riots.