Food Rights and Agroecology

Food is a crucial subject the world over. All aspects of how we produce, process, distribute and access food is increasingly coming under sharp, serious scrutiny. This is partly due to the universal understanding of food as a basic right – necessary for life rather than a commodity we trade, invent, re-invent and innovate with little consideration of the implications that has on access, safety and quality. Various discussions have been brought to the table, mainly trying to figure out the best approach to our food and farming systems and what approach gives a better chance to end hunger and malnutrition; now and in the days to come.

When conflict escalates, such as the one unfolding in the Gulf, the first images that come to mind are usually oil tankers, fuel prices and diplomatic tension. But the effects do not stop there. They move into fertiliser markets, then into farms and from there into food systems. In countries like Kenya, this is not something distant or theoretical. It shows up quickly in the cost of farming, even if the full effects on consumer food prices may take longer to work their way through markets.¹