The right to food is a cross-cutting issue. There are many dimensions interrelated, actors and processes involved, diversity of visions, subtle difference between concepts or emerging issues.

In order for every person to be able to fulfil the right to adequate food, or to advocate for its implementation, an understanding of certain issues and skills are needed.  

The materials available on this page are studies, platforms and other resources that have been recently published not only by FAO but also other entities, sometimes issues in one or more of the six official FAO languages. The selection of items has been made by the FAO Right to Food Team, who aims to share information, provide practical guidance and stimulate debate on various aspects of the right to food.

Over 2022 FAO will be posting an update of these resources.

We hope you find them useful and enjoy this food for thought!

 Selection of right to food-related resources in February

Seeds, right to life and farmers’ rights | Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food to the HRC

Michael Fakhri provides a framework for the advancement of farmers’, indigenous peoples’ and workers’ rights and a guide for States to ensure that the world’s seed systems are biodiverse and safe and fulfil human rights obligations

CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT

Geoengineering: Reining in the weather warriors| Chatham house

While climate change has been dominating the international agenda in recent years, efforts to influence the weather and reflect solar heat have received less scrutiny despite their potential to increase regional tensions. 

Reconciling human rights and the environment: a proposal to integrate the right to food with sustainable development in the 2030 development agenda  | Ana García Juanatey

This article examines the utility of the human rights-based approach (HRBA) in tackling environmental challenges that face achievement of the right to food in coming decades. So far, such approach has been quite useful in the consideration of equity, discrimination and accountability issues. Nevertheless, the HRBA’s utility to tackle the effects of environmental degradation, natural resources depletion and climate change on food security is not that clear, as human rights law and practice has evolved in parallel with environmental concerns until recently.

Climate change and tenure rights: Interlinked challenges in Cambodia| FAO

Asia and the Pacific is the region with the highest proportion of weather-related disaster displacements worldwide. Such climate change related vulnerabilities pose significant threats to agriculture and food security. Against this background, the policy and legal framework in Cambodia is assessed on its preparedness to cope with the changes and opportunities for adaptation and mitigation actions and the role of tenure in these.

GENDER

Behavioural science recommendations for the design of gender transformative IFAD programmes| IFAD

This study examines how behavioural barriers and biases perpetuate the gender gap and explores how behavioural science can reduce such barriers and biases. Recommendations are grouped around three objectives: promoting the economic empowerment of women, strengthening women's participation in the decision-making process, and redistributing the burden of domestic work.

INCLUSION

Extending social protection to rural populations | ILO and FAO

Today more than 70 percent of the world’s population still has no or limited access to comprehensive social protection. Coverage in rural areas, where about 80 percent of the world’s poor live, is even lower. Achieving an effective extension of the coverage of social protection benefits and services to the rural population is a key challenge. This will require bridging gaps and removing existing barriers that limit the access of rural populations to social protection.

Inclusive and resilient recovery from COVID-19 for sustainable livelihoods, well-being and dignity for all: eradicating poverty and hunger in all its forms and dimensions to achieve the 2030 Agenda| UN Eonomic and Social Council (60th Session of the Commission for Social Development)

The resolution reaffirmed the right to adequate food and the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger. It also encouraged Member States to strengthen food systems.

NUTRITION

How the marketing of formula milk influences our decisions on infant feeding | WHO and UNICEF

The report uncovers systematic and unethical marketing strategies used by the formula milk industry – now worth a staggering US$55 billion – to influence parents’ infant feeding decisions. This violates the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (the Code).

Food marketing exposure and power and their associations with food-related attitudes, beliefs and behaviours: a narrative review | WHO

This review extends the findings of the 2009 WHO review by adding evidence and perspectives on more contemporary types of marketing, reflecting the growth in internet use and food marketing via digital and social media over the last decade. It confirms that marketing of foods that contribute to unhealthy diets remains pervasive and provides evidence that strengthens the rationale for action to restrict food marketing to which children are exposed.

OTHERS

Nueva nota de orientación jurídica sobre el reconocimiento constitucional del derecho a la alimentación adecuada en El Salvador| FAO (only available in Spanish)