This week, a podcast episode we recorded a few months ago went live. During the discussion, we questioned the legitimacy of the organic certification system—a stance that sparked strong backlash from organic farmers. Many believe that certification is the only way to provide transparency and build trust with consumers, as it involves third-party 'experts' vetting farms so consumers don’t have to make their own judgments.
But we believe in reclaiming our sovereignty—the ability to make informed decisions for ourselves and our families. Whether it’s homeschooling, growing our own food, choosing alternative medicines, or birthing outside the medical system, it’s about reclaiming control over key aspects of life that have been taken from us, and trusting ourselves rather than outsourcing decisions to external institutions.
As power has become more centralised, our choices in these areas are increasingly dictated by external institutions. To regain our autonomy, we must first recognise and challenge the systems that limit our ability to make independent decisions. To shape a freer future for the next generation, we must take responsibility for ourselves and reclaim control over the choices that impact our lives.
Freedom & Responsibility: Two Sides of the Same Coin
True independence comes from personal responsibility. If we don’t take charge of our own lives, any sense of freedom is merely an illusion. The more we rely on external authorities, the less power we have over our own destiny. Reclaiming sovereignty isn’t about rejecting all systems—it’s about making informed decisions, being conscious of which systems we engage with and ensuring they align with our values. It’s about taking back control of our lives and refusing to passively accept decisions made for us by distant bureaucracies.
Questioning can be exhausting and at times, it certainly feels easier to follow guidelines, trust recommendations, and stop asking questions. But remember that even the smallest shifts, when made with intention, lead to lasting empowerment.
There are so many ways to reclaim sovereignty in practical, accessible ways that you can start implementing today. Here are a few:
Food Sovereignty
Do you really know where your food comes from? How it was grown? Who raised the animals that produce your milk, eggs, and meat? Food sovereignty is about developing a deep understanding of your food sources and creating food security for yourself and your family. It’s about going directly to the source of your food rather than relying on supermarket shelves. It's about knowing and seeing for yourself how the food is grown and raised rather than relying on a certification stamp. Organic labels don’t guarantee integrity—relationships with farmers do.
We have lost control over our food system, relying on mass agriculture, middlemen and supermarkets to provide for us. Taking back control starts with small steps. Why not start a small vegetable patch in your garden this spring? Another way to get closer to food sovereignty is also knowing your farmer. You could visit a farm or start a conversation with the farmer at your local farmers' market. A few questions you could ask that will provide you with a greater understanding of your food:
Do you grow your vegetables from seed?
If so, do you use heritage open-pollinated seeds or F1 varieties?
How do you manage pest control and soil fertility?
Do you give any pharmaceuticals to your animals?
What feed do your animals eat?
Health Sovereignty
Health sovereignty includes many aspects. It includes how you decide to nourish and care for your body, how you decide to respond to illnesses, making informed choices about what goes (and does not go!) into your body, and questioning mainstream health narratives with an open mind.
Over generations, we have lost control over our health. Instead of trusting our bodies and our innate wisdom, we have handed over responsibility to pharmaceutical companies and medical institutions. We’ve probably all—at some point in our lives—been prescribed something by a doctor. Whereas before, I would blindly trust their recommendation, I now prefer to take responsibility for my own and my family's health. I take responsibility through doing research, tapping into my maternal intuition—which often looks like riding a fever to its extreme and trusting our bodies know best—and seeking natural remedies. It can feel very daunting at first because there is so much information and fear-mongering around these topics. Reading a book on herbalism, seeing an osteopath, or buying a basic homeopathy kit are easy ways to start your journey toward health sovereignty.
Education Sovereignty
As a parent, I’ve come to understand that state-run institutions often prioritise moulding children into contributors to a system rather than nurturing their individuality. Education sovereignty is about being actively involved in shaping our children’s education and upbringing rather than leaving it entirely in the hands of the state. Sovereign, self-directed education encourages creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving—abilities that conventional education frequently overlooks. Even if homeschooling or unschooling isn’t an option, we can supplement our children’s education by teaching them real-world skills and encouraging them to think independently.
A few easy ways to increase our education sovereignty (even if our children are at school) is by having a clear understanding of what they are taught in school and offering a different perspective, as well as encouraging self-directed and interest-led learning whenever possible.
Sovereignty Starts with Community
Sovereignty isn’t about isolation—it’s about intentional community. Real freedom emerges from deep relationships with those who share our core values. As it's often said, "it takes a village to raise children", but it also takes a village to foster resilient support networks that enable us to thrive outside of conventional systems. A strong community lends expertise, resources, and emotional support when needed.
Local communities aren't as strong as they used to be. Reclaiming sovereignty means rebuilding local support systems—finding like-minded individuals who share our values and working together to create alternatives to centralised control.
Adding, Not Removing
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the idea of reclaiming sovereignty. But it’s not about suddenly pulling your kids out of school, growing all your food, or avoiding doctors entirely. Instead, start by adding sovereignty to your life: visit a local farmer, read a book about herbalism, question what your children are taught in school, or start growing a few vegetables - even if it's just on your windowsill. Small, intentional changes lead to empowerment over time.
There's so many other areas of life where you can reclaim your sovereignty, including financial and legal areas, maybe for another blog post!
Ultimately, reclaiming sovereignty is about regaining control—over our food, our health, our children’s education, and our personal freedoms. It is about taking back the power that has been slowly stripped away from us and making conscious decisions that align with our values. The more control we take back, the freer we become.
What are your favourite ways of adding sovereignty into our daily life? Please share any suggestions in the comment section below, we would love to hear!
Comments (4)
I suppose the Organic validation systems out there are to reassure those of us who are maybe too otherwise busy earning enough to grow and eat organic and don’t feel they have the ‘luxury’ of time, energy or actual land resources to spend growing their own food.
My small farm provides these opportunities though getting there and back has a carbon footprint cost to be considered. The welfare state that produced the NHS and Social Security had best intentions to shelter us from the dehumanising consequences of profit centred motivations. Unless the fallacy of ‘economic growth’ is ever realised and supplanted by true community care, the true value of life will always be ignored and abused.
The wonder of Life itself must be reinforced in our children from very early years to give them their own sovereignty of self thus living it with each other. Only then will the concept of taking another’s life by knives or any other means seem Inconceivable. Life itself we are unable to scientifically create without a living protein or sample to reproduce from so it is still a total miracle the value of which must never be taken for granted.
So we must grow our own children with true organic values that allow them to live and love the values available here.
I am with you in all that you have said. More and more people are asking the same questions and coming to same conclusions. I have been on this path for many years and being in my 77th year can remember how true community worked. We all had the normal childhood illnesses and they were managed without the thought of calling doctors or routine use of antibiotics which were relatively new or any medications. There were no routine vaccinations. They were being offered as I remember in 50’s but nothing like what is happening now.We had honey and lemon for sore throats . Warm Olive oil for earache. Cool wet flannel on forehead for high temperature.I had never met anyone with hayfever until I was 18 and allergies were unheard of. Can’t remember anyone who had long term harm from any childhood disease. That would suggest it was rare at the time. I think our so called health care interventions have interfered with our immune systems resulting in autoimmune conditions that are of previously unheard of numbers. Immunity passed from mother to child to protect them in early stages of life. We have made our children more vulnerable to illness and disease in my view. We had home grown veg and fruit, kept chickens. Initially had to get all our water from the Well. No fast foods available. My sisters are 90 and 87 ,brother 86 . I am 77 . Not just good genetics, but also healthy food and way of life. Another important factor was the family and community support. That was so important for mental health as well. I’m so pleased to see more people like yourselves looking at taking back out control by working together to reclaim that which was better from our not so distant past.
Another concern is the effect of fear and violence now seen in abundance .We need to limit the exposure to this but I’m not sure how. We may be able to limit at home but it’s everywhere .
Hope this new forum is a success.
I love the transparency, this is so needed at this time , people must be informed so thry make the right choice for themselves and their family of what goes inside their mouths and bodies , well done !!!
I have a friend www-ecoloo.eu his toilette give aprooved fertilizer insteda of flush shit with drinkwater.
I alsohavw GWS Ge´roundWaterSensor connected to the cloud. Only in Sweden there is 1 million drilled dwells Erik