Food as a Commodity, Human Right or Common Good?

Implications for Hunger Eradication

Datos de hambre

HAMBRE Y MALNUTRICIN EN AMRICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE JOSE LUIS VIVERO POL

PhD Candidate in Food Governance Universit Catholique de Louvain, Belgium

PRIMUM VIVERE DEINDE PHILOSOPHARE

#1. The FAILURE of the Global Food System #2. 3 APPROACHES, 5 DIMENSIONS to Food #3. The RIGHT TO FOOD is progressing #4. The 5th dimension: FOOD AS A COMMONS
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AIR

FOOD

WATER

SUNLIGHT

OUR HOME

Evolution of Hunger figures in the world and in LAC between 1990-1992 y 2010-2012.
1 000 1 000
Millions

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70 919 65 900 60 867 54 50 50 49 868 898 60

800
1990-1992
Fuente: FAO.

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1999-2001 2004-2006 2007-2009 2010-2012

Mundo (Eje izquierdo)

Amrica Latina y el Caribe (Eje derecho)

2.3 BILLION MALNOURISHED PEOPLE WE EAT BADLY

3.1 million children die of hunger-related diseases 2.8 million people die of overweightrelated diseases

868 MILLION HUNGRY

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HUNGER DAMAGES THE BRAIN

Malnourished child brain

Well nourished child brain

STUNTING during first thre years is IRREVERSIBLE

Wellnourished child neurone

Malnourished Child Neurone

165 million stunted children 19 million severely wasted children

Hunger is largest contributor (45%) to child mortality

1.4 BILLION OVERWEIGHT 300 MILLION OBESE

WASTED FOOD (33%)

1.3 billion tonnes (to feed 600 million hungry people)

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The food industry is the 2nd biggest: A BIG CAKE (10% GDP & 5 trillion USD in 2009)

Planetary Boundaries Climate Change Oil Peak

Business as usual Increase productivity Improve access

Radical change UK Gov IAASTD

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ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK Food dimensions Approaches to food systems

Food dimensions

Human Need

Human Right

Culture

Commodity

Commons

Food as a commons

Food as a commodity

FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY exists when Technocrats, technicians, official statements, consensus Twin track approach (production & acces to food) No questioning food is a commodity: ACCESS IS THE MAIN ISSUE

OFICIAL DEFINITION
World Food Summits

1996 & 2002

Foto: 16FAO

Foto: Jorge Salamanca

THE RIGHT TO FOOD is a right (duties and entitlements). States must respect, protect & fulfill As a legal approach, it does not question the proprietary rights, specially the private property right (a sacred pillar of capitalism).
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ICESCR
is a binding agreement for 156 states Justiciable

Food Security Laws in LAC

Name initial draft Appro val Year
2003

Civil society participation

In the National Food and Nutrition Commission High participation in National Food Security Council (CONSEA) In the National Food Sovereignty Conference In the FNS National Council (decision making) and INCOPAS (Consulting Group) Participation in the National Council with decision making power Participation on the National Commission for Food and Nutrition Sovereignty and Security

Justiciability

Argentina Brazil Ecuador Guatemala

National Nutrition and Food Programme Law Food Security Law Food Sovereignty Law National Food & Nutrition Security System Law Framework Law on Food Security and Sovereignty

2002

No

2005

2006

No

2008

2009

No

2003

2005

No

Honduras

2007

2011

No

Nicaragua

Food and Nutrition Sovereignty and Security Law Organic Law for Security & Sovereignty of the Agriculture and Food Sector

2001

2009

Administrative & judicial mechanisms are mentioned No

Venezuela

2007

2008

Mentioned in terms of decentralised agencies focusing on agriculture

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Latin America is at the forefront of the Right to Food in the world

17 countries have laws or drafts in Parliaments 7 countries have Food Security Laws + Mxico DF Active and demanding Civil Society Human Rights Procuradurias producing national reports (Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia) Constitutional amendments: Ecuador (2009), Brasil (2010), Mxico (2012). El Salvador & Colombia are coming
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What is FOOD SOVEREIGNTY?

#3.

#1. RECENT
CONCEPT (1996) quickly evolving, formulated by Va Campesina

Common paradigm of CIVIL SOCIETY CIVIL & some STATES

Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Rep Dom

#2. WORK IN PROGRESS,

weak academic/UN support
Foto: Alessandra Ferrandes

#4. Alternative to the

industrial oil-dependant food system
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EVOLUTION

Foto: Ian Mackenzie

From an antiestablishment and combative position to a viable alternative to tackle current flaws of the post-industrial food system, plus hunger, climate change and energy

IDEOLOGICAL & propositive: the ONLY option B

Foto: F

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Foto: Jose Luis Vivero

No to TNC control over our food (Henry Kissinger)

Producers and Consumers

shall regain control of the national food systems. Producing and comsuming food is a cultural issue

Food is not a COMMODITY such as screws (ergo OUT of WTO)

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Private & Common Goods: Rivalry & Excludability

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De-constructing Food-related Elements: everything is commons but cultivated food and copyrighted patents
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1. Cultivated Food is a private good

Completly produced by private means: private landholdings, copyrighted seeds and agrochemicals, machineries

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Fotos: Jose Luis Vivero

2. Traditional agricultural knowledge

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3. Science-based agricultural knowledge by national institutions

Public copyrights Universities National Research Institutions

Foto: Argonne National Laboratory

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4. Cuisine, recipes & national gastronomy

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Foto: Carla Bqn

5. Edible wild plants and animals

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Foto: Edd.ie

Seeds are commons

Patents prevent innovation (Benkler, 2006) Fashion world and top cuisine are rather innovative without patenting systems

ITPGRFA made seeds a global common good

6. Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

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7. Food safety considerations (Codex Alimentarius)

Foto: Lianne Milton

Foto: Mariano Bonora

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8. Good nutrition & public health

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Foto: Megan Morgavan

9. Extreme food price fluctuations

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Banning futures trade speculation Controlling land grabbing, land evictions Binding Food Treaties Legislating collective rights Avoiding biopiracy, patenting of life forms, Minimising copyrighted agriculture Combating oligopolies of agri-food chains

What if food is considered a commons

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Tri-centric Governance of Food Systems

CIVIC COLLECTIVE ACTIONS

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DE-COMMODIFICATION & RE-COMMONIFICATION OF FOOD

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Food is a human right and a commons! And I thank you for your time and interest
1. La Agricultura en un contexto global
Fuente FAO: http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/wfs-home/foodpricesindex/es/

@joselviveropol joseluisviveropol

I am more than happy to exchange with anyone interested in hunger eradication & food as a commons Any comment is welcomed

Jose Luis Vivero Pol

joseluisvivero@gmail.com

http://hambreyderechoshumanos.blogspot.com http://hungerpolitics.wordpress.com
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