Rome- 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 June

Report on non-take-up of rights in the context of social protection | Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights

The Special Rapporteur urges all States to reduce non-take-up as an urgent policy priority. This requires recasting social protection as a human right rather than charity, coordinating actions to provide targeted information about social protection measures, simplifying application procedures and involving those who experience poverty in the design, monitoring and evaluation of social protection schemes.

United Nations Human Rights Report 2021 | UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR)

This report outlines the results achieved in 2021 in line with OHCHR’s 2018-2021 Management Plan. It also shows how the challenges highlighted and reinforced by the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to human rights were addressed, and the efforts made towards building forward better.

Sustainable agriculture and food systems | Professor Tim Benton and Dr Helen Harwatt, in Chatham House

This paper seeks to clarify the debate around sustainability in agriculture by examining two distinct versions of sustainability. Each is discussed in terms of its clearly defined underpinning assumptions, including the key question of whether large-scale changes in demand towards healthier, less wasteful and more sustainable diets are possible.

Derecho a la alimentación en Uruguay durante la pandemia de la COVID -19: experiencias de la sociedad civil |Núcleo Interdisciplinario “Alimentación y Bienestar” de la Universidad de Uruguay (available only in Spanish)

This publication compiles and analyzes the experiences developed by civil society in the framework of the COVID-19 crisis to guarantee the right to adequate food in Uruguay.

The child labour in agriculture prevention facility |FAO

The Child Labour in Agriculture Prevention Facility (CLAP Facility) is a flexible and impact-oriented multi-donor programme, implemented by FAO. The Facility will support and strengthen the capacity of agricultural stakeholders to improve the livelihoods of rural communities and reduce their dependencies on child labour at scale, with special consideration to socio-cultural and economic specificities and inequalities.

Opinion articles

The Ukraine Crisis Shows How Fragile Our Food Systems Are | Lawrence Haddad, in Times

In too many countries, resilience is seen as a “nice to have” rather than a “must have”. In a world where turbulence is increasingly becoming the norm, diversification is the ultimate insurance policy for policymakers, and for those most vulnerable to shocks.

Ukraine helps feed the world – but its farmers, seeds and future are in danger| Michael Fakhri and Sofia Monsalve, in The Guardian

Even in the midst of war, we have to think about recovery. Seeds are what make future life possible. Without seeds, it is very difficult to rebuild a food system

Starved for justice: international complicity in systematic violations of the right to food in Haiti |Sandra C. Wisner, in Colombia Human Rights Law Review

This paper proposes that the food insecurity Haitians face today constitutes a violation of the right to food. It outlines the emerging recognition of extraterritorial obligations (“ETOs”) around the globe; suggests available mechanisms at the domestic, regional, and international level for adjudication of cases arising from ETOs; and proposes ETOs’ application to traditional policies and remedies meant to protect individuals from harm and compensate them for harm caused.