Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
In relation to the second point identified above, on the issue of bio-fuels, it
is clear that environmentally damaging agro-fuels should not be produced. Only
second generation agro-fuels, whih do not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions,
should be promoted, and there should be a moratorium on subsidizing agro-fuels
that are produced from food or food producing resources, at least during periods of
economic crisis, and during global food crises. Strategies must be adopted to ensure
that bio-fuel production is geared towards true environmental protection and is un-
dertaken in suh a manner that the right to food is simultaneously protected.
Thirdly, there is a need to redress the notion of food aid and reframe it in relation
to the obligation of international cooperation. International cooperation is not just
a moral imperative, it is a legal obligation enshrined in the International Covenant
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. States have a legal obligation to cooperate,
including through financial assistance (meaning,
inter alia
, through their economic
and food aid policies). Despite this, at a time when undernourishment has reahed
its historic peak, global food aid has hit a 20 year low (UN News Agency, 2009). In-
ternational cooperation means muh more than food aid. Access to seeds and fertil-
izers, tailored tehnologies, access to rural inance and markets can all be subject to
cooperation. As some developed economies continue to demonstrate their success in
agriculture, it becomes more imperative to ensure that their farming tehnology and
know-how is used to assist other countries in developing better farming practices
and learning how to beter prioritize agriculture within their domestic economies.
Lastly, probably one of the deepest areas of systemic hange, whih should be
prompted by the deficiencies demonstrated by the global food crisis, is the redesign
of the international trading system along human rights standards. This may sound
revolutionary but it is by no means a new idea: human rights advocates have already
developed and advocated guidelines for suh a framework (Smaller and Murphy,
2008). The starting point is the premise that the isolation of the WTO from other
spheres of law, suh as human rights, is unjustiied as long as trade rules clearly
impact on human rights. It is argued that a shift in focus is needed: trade should
discipline bad practices suh as dumping, excessive speculation and unheked mar-
ket power, as opposed to its current promotion of trade liberalization. The process
of reahing and implementing decisions should conform to human rights standards:
hence, accountability, transparency and participation of all affected groups should
be at the heart of the system. As duty bearers under human rights law, governments
