A bowl of sheer khurma to round off an Eid meal. A piping hot turkey on the table at Christmas. Pan de muerto to remember loved ones who are no longer with us. Food is an integral part of many traditions, cultures and religions and, for many across the world, it is pleasure. But it’s much more than that: food is a necessity and a human right.
In 1966, the Right to Food was enshrined in international law in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Generally understood as the right to feed oneself in dignity, it is more than just freedom from hunger; it is the idea that everyone, everywhere should have access to an adequate, nutritious diet: one that is accessible without going to great lengths to obtain it, one that is affordable, meaning that families do not having to sacrifice other basic needs to buy it, and one that is both nutritious and in line with religious and cultural customs.
Over the last decades, FAO has supported nations to commit to and implement this important goal and a number of countries have developed and implemented constitutional amendments, national laws, strategies, policies and programmes that aim to ensure the right to food.
Here are just a couple of countries where FAO has helped further the Right to Food:
Fiji
Despite being a picturesque holiday destination, Fiji faces a unique set of challenges when it comes to food, and many Fijians suffer from malnutrition. Because the country is a Small Island Developing State, it is particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change, with droughts and floods regularly destroying crops. Because of this and the consequences on the production of fresh food, Fijians are highly dependent on imported goods and lower quality, processed foods, which is often cheaper than fresh food grown nearby.
With FAO’s technical support, the government has put together a strategy that will ensure that every Fijian has a right to food by increasing access to and production of nutritious food. The government has committed to distributing 36 000 garden packages of different vegetable and fruits seeds to the local population to help widen access to nutritious foods like mangos, avocados, guavas, dragon fruit, breadfruit and passionfruit. This will help reduce the import bill of fruits, boost farmers’ livelihoods and generally improve the health of Fiji’s population. In the wake of COVID-19, which has threatened food security even further, FAO has supported this initiative with both seeds and tools.