The Human Right to Food: An Insider’s Account

Sharing insights from the author's forty years of activism, this book champions the right to food as a fundamental human right and offers a compelling exploration of its evolution and application.

Tracing the emergence of the human right to food within civil society and among legal experts in the early 1980s, this book highlights its pivotal role in advancing economic, social, and cultural rights that had long been neglected within the UN system. The book provides a careful definition of human rights as natural law, starting from human needs and States’ obligations. It underscores the essential unity of human rights. Delving into key issues such as land rights, agrarian reform, and minimum income programmes, the book draws on global examples of oppression to illustrate the practical implementation of the right to food. It also examines the transnational dimensions of food justice, addressing the role of the Global North in perpetuating food insecurity in the Global South, and explores the role of human rights in regulating transnational corporations and holding International Governmental Organisations accountable. Furthermore, the book considers the legal implications of future generations' right to food and how this shapes present-day state obligations. With its conceptual clarity and actionable insights, this book serves as a vital resource for human rights education, advocacy, and policymaking.

This book is essential reading for activists, policymakers, students, and scholars across disciplines such as human rights, food and agriculture policy, social security, international relations, philosophy, and sustainability.