In the 20th century science and technology changed the agricultural sector enormously in many industrialized countries. The implications for both developed and developing countries in the agricultural sector, rural development, food security, food safety, the Codex Alimentarius, the environment, the green revolution, Genetically Modified Food (GM Food or biotech foods), trade, etc., are the subject of this research guide.
This Research Guide is intended as a starting point for research on Food. It provides the basic legal materials available in the Peace Palace Library, both in print and electronic format. Handbooks, leading articles, bibliographies, periodicals, serial publications and documents of interest are presented in the Selective Bibliography section. Links to the PPL Catalogue are inserted. The Library’s classification index code 9j. Agriculture, Agrarian Policy, etc. and subject heading (keyword) Food are instrumental for searching through the Catalogue. Special attention is given to our subscriptions on databases, e-journals, e-books and other electronic resources. Finally, this Research Guide features links to relevant websites and other online resources of particular interest.
Book.
Chapter.
Article.
Electronic article available in library.
Electronic book available in library.
Crop genetic resources as a global commons The great food robbery These publications are selected for you by .
This book examines current developments in international law which regulate the uses of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, and the various property regimes which are applied to these resources by these international agreements. In the current context of the global food crisis, the development and stability of national agricultural systems is an urgent concern, particularly among developing countries. This stability, and national food security, will potentially be threatened if these countries are unable to have free access to agricultural crop plants. This book analyses a range of international agreements including the recently adopted Nagoya Protocol and demonstrates that in their current implementation they favour private ownership of these resources rather than free access. The book takes the position that this is inherently inequitable and these resources should be maintained in the public domain. This book will be of use to a wide range of readers from students and scholars to those working in the fields of trade and intellectual property, human rights, environmental conservation and advocacy on international issues. It contains a rigorous legal analysis of current international law development on the issue based on the negotiations which have taken place in the relevant forums, and will therefore be particularly useful to lawyers and legal scholars. It is also written in an uncomplicated style which makes it readily accessible to non-lawyers and the case studies and empirical data used throughout the book adds to its interest.
View this title in our link resolver Plinklet
This timely study addresses the pressing issue of food security through a range of interdisciplinary contributions, providing both scholarly and policy-making perspectives. It sets the discussion on food security within the little-studied context of its international legal and regulatory framework. The expert contributors explore the key issues from a development perspective and through the lens of existing governance and policy systems with a view to articulating how these systems can be made more effective in dealing with the roots of food insecurity.
The book considers the root causes of food insecurity before discussing the regulatory challenges inherent in reconciling food production and sustainability to ensure both adequate supply of and equitable access to food, particularly in light of emerging issues such as food price volatility, ‘land grabbing’ and the need to coordinate the actions of the multitude of actors that influence food policy and regulation. It highlights the need for more equitable, transparent and coherent policy and regulatory approaches to the myriad of issues that make up the food security challenge.
This cross-cutting study will appeal to researchers in law, international relations, agricultural science and food systems, as well as to policy makers in government and international organisations that engage with policy and regulation of food security issues. It will also be essential reading for professionals in non-governmental organisations that are interested in development issues in general and food security in particular
Crossing disciplinary boundaries, this volume by Özerdem and Roberts conceptualizes the challenges of developing sustainable agriculture in post-conflict environments as well as identifying the policies and practical solutions to achieve sustainable agricultural production which is central to the survival of humanity. Without sustainable agriculture, populations remain vulnerable increasing the likelihood of a return to conflict. Therefore, sustainable agriculture is central to effective post-conflict recovery that provides human security as well as stability and rule of law. Unique in combining a comprehensive and comparative understanding of sustainable agriculture challenges in post-conflict environments, there is originality in the interdisciplinary nature of the book. Interdisciplinary often means bringing together a political scientist and a sociologist, but in this case it means bringing together natural and social scientists, as well as those with practical experience in development and agricultural contexts. By adopting a holistic multi-disciplinary approach which identifies key themes and case studies, this book sets the scene for the debate surrounding sustainable agriculture in post-conflict environments. Seeing ‘fixing’ agriculture as more than merely a technical matter, the volume focuses on this critical post-conflict challenge with social, political and cultural characteristics and consequences as well as the obvious economic ones.
Contents: Introduction; Part I Concepts, Issues and Challenges: Global agriculture and the challenge of sustainability, Moya Kneafsey; The impact of conflict on agriculture and post-conflict reconstruction challenges, Alpaslan Özerdem and Rebecca Roberts; Projections on future challenges: climate change, Phil Harris and Alpaslan Özerdem. Part II Impact of Conflict on Agriculture: The effects of civil war on agricultural development and rural livelihood in Sierra Leone, Kwadwo Asenso-Okyere and Sindu Workneh Kebede; How conflict affected agriculture in Nepal, Gobinda Neupane and Richard Slade; The legacy of war: unexploded cluster munitions in Southern Lebanon, Rebecca Roberts; Women in Aceh: conflict and changing agricultural roles, Sylvia Stoll. Part III The Recovery of the Agricultural Sector: Taking an agroecological approach to recovery: is it worth it and is it possible?, Julia Wright and Lionel Weerakoon; Post-apartheid struggles: land rights and smallholder agriculture in South Africa, James Bennett; Cambodia: the challenge of adding value to agriculture after conflict, Sigfrido Burgos Cáceres and Sophal Ear; Avoiding dairy aid traps: the cases of Uganda, India and Bangladesh, Bruce A. Scholten and Brian T. Dugdill; Explicitly licit: stemming the sand tide in Kohsan district, Herat province, Afghanistan, Lenard Milich; Olive trees: livelihoods and resistance, Marwan Darweish; Practical action in North Darfur, Liam Morgan and Barnaby Peacocke; Agricultural information amid conflict: for whom and for what?, Ian Christoplos; Youth, associations and urban food security in post-war Sierra Leone, Roy Maconachie; The only way to produce food is to cooperate and reconcile? Failures of cooperative agriculture in post-war Sierra Leone, Catherine Bolten. Part IV Conclusion: Concluding remarks: looking to the future – agriculture post-conflict, Rebecca Roberts and Julia Wright; Index.
Set in the context of a sophisticated critique of the privileged epistemological position oachieved by modern science, whereby it both aspires to provide technological solutions for social and political problems while at the same time disclaiming responsibility for the new problems which it creates in its wake, the author looks to the future in an analysis of the new project to apply the latest Gene Revolution technology to India and warns of the further environmental and social damage which will ensue.
View this title in our link resolver Plinklet
In the last decade, the world has grown richer and produced more food than ever before. Yet in that same period, hunger has increased and 925 million remain underfed and malnourished. Exploring this troubling paradox, The Feeding of Nations: Re-Defining Food Security for the 21st Century offers a glimpse into how the simple aspiration of global food security has evolved and unfolded—with sometimes contradictory and counterproductive policies, agendas, and ideologies. Providing a holistic analysis of the issues surrounding food security, this volume engages in a cross-disciplinary approach that makes the subject accessible to readers and academically rigorous in delivery. Topics discussed include:
The book contains a broad set of appendices that enable focused study on critical topics presented in the text. Uniquely amalgamating all the disparate elements of food security into one volume, it sets the record straight about the origins and evolution of the phenomenon while dispelling myths along the way.
View this title in our link resolver Plinklet
La question agricole est redevenue un enjeu géopolitique qui risque de s’avérer de plus en plus complexe compte tenu des défis démographiques, écologiques et socio-économiques du XXIe siècle. Ces nouveaux enjeux nécessitent de replacer l’agriculture au coeur de l’agenda international et d’engager une réflexion approfondie sur l’encadrement juridique des relations agricoles internationales. C’est l’objet de cet ouvrage qui expose et analyse, pour la première fois, le droit international de l’agriculture. Les crises alimentaires de 2008 et 2011 ont mis en lumière les dangers des embargos économiques dans la vie internationale. Cette question sera demain au centre de nos préoccupations et le droit devra fournir des instruments pour améliorer la gouvernance mondiale de l’agriculture afin d’organiser et sécuriser le commerce des produits agricoles. En tenant compte des considérations sociales et environnementales de l’agriculture, un accord international devrait reposer sur l’interdépendance économique des États : en échange d’une meilleure organisation du commerce des produits agricoles, les pays producteurs pourraient s’engager à garantir la sécurité des approvisionnements vis-à-vis des pays consommateurs.
View this title in our link resolver Plinklet
A wide range of crop genetic resources is vital for future food security. Loss of agricultural biodiversity increases the risk of relying on a limited number of staple food crops. However, many laws, such as seed laws, plant varieties protection and access and benefit-sharing laws, have direct impacts on agrobiodiversity, and their effects have been severely underestimated by policy-makers. This is of concern not only to lawyers, but also to agronomists, biologists, and social scientists, all of whom need clear guidance as to the relevance of the law to their work. This book analyzes the impact of the legal system on agrobiodiversity (or agricultural biodiversity) – the diversity of agricultural species, varieties, and ecosystems. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it takes up the emerging concept of agrobiodiversity and its relationship with food security, nutrition, health, environmental sustainability, and climate change. It assesses the impacts on agrobiodiversity of key legal instruments, including seeds laws, the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, plant breeders’ rights, the Convention on Biological Diversity (regarding specifically its impact on agrobiodiversity), and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. It also reviews the options for the implementation of these instruments at the national level in several countries. It discusses the interfaces between the free software movement, the ‘commons’ movement, and seeds, as well as the legal instruments to protect cultural heritage and their application to safeguard agrobiodiversity-rich systems. Finally, it analyzes the role of protected areas and the possibility of using geographical indications to enhance the value of agrobiodiversity products and processes.
View this title in our link resolver Plinklet
La realizzazione del volume European Food Law in lingua inglese nasce da considerazioni specifiche all’area disciplinare del diritto alimentare, in cui sono sempre più evidenti le dimensioni europea ed internazionale (e dove la Food Law suscita largo interesse – secondo quanto già sperimentato negli ultimi anni con la crescita dei corsi dedicati a tale tema), come più generali, in ragione dell’attivazione in numerose università di corsi di laurea, o comunque di insegnamenti, impartiti in lingua inglese. Su un piano più generale, va sottolineato che da ultimo – come è noto – la riforma universitaria (L. 240 del 30.12.2010, c.d. “Legge Gelmini”) ha espressamente privilegiato, anche ai fini della valutazione dei diversi Atenei: “il rafforzamento dell’internazionalizzazione”. Il volume dovrebbe pertanto incontrare l’interesse di un significativo numero di lettori, non soltanto nelle università, ma anche nell’ambito delle attività di formazione della Pubblica Amministrazione e delle imprese alimentari, sempre più sensibili ai temi del commercio internazionale e dunque interessate a conoscere la strumentazione giuridica europea ed internazionale nella lingua inglese comunemente utilizzata in tale commercio. La struttura del volume è quella del manuale, ed adotta un modello redazionale snello limitando le note ai soli riferimenti normativi e giurisprudenziali, ma non si limita ad un approccio descrittivo e dà conto del dibattito in essere sulle diverse questioni. I ventisei capitoli in cui si articola il volume (redatti da professori ordinari, associati e ricercatori nella materia) compongono una ricostruzione completa del sistema di diritto alimentare europeo, dall’individuazione dei principi generali sino all’analisi dei singoli istituti, dalla tutela del consumatore alle norme di etichettatura, ai prodotti biologici ed a tutti gli altri istituti propri della materia. Gli ultimi due capitoli sono dedicati ai vini di qualità ed all’olio di oliva, quali produzioni tipiche del mercato italiano, che costituiscono casi esemplari di integrazione fra normative di fonte europea e normative nazionali. Gli indici analitici della legislazione e della giurisprudenza, ed una compiuta bibliografia completano il volume.
View this title in our link resolver Plinklet
In the last decade, the world has grown richer and produced more food than ever before. Yet in that same period, hunger has increased and 925 million remain underfed and malnourished. Exploring this troubling paradox, The Feeding of Nations: Re-Defining Food Security for the 21st Century offers a glimpse into how the simple aspiration of global food security has evolved and unfolded—with sometimes contradictory and counterproductive policies, agendas, and ideologies. Providing a holistic analysis of the issues surrounding food security, this volume engages in a cross-disciplinary approach that makes the subject accessible to readers and academically rigorous in delivery.
The challenge of global hunger is now high on the agenda of governments and international policy-makers. This new work contributes to addressing that challenge, by looking at the obstacles which stand in the way of implementing a right to food in the era of globalisation. The book describes the current situation of global hunger; it considers how it relates both to the development of food systems and to the merger of the food and energy markets; and it explains how the right to food contributes to identifying solutions at the domestic and international levels. The right to food, it argues, can only be realised if governance improves at the domestic level, and if the international environment enables governments to adopt appropriate policies, for which they require a certain policy space. The essays in this book demonstrate that the current regimes of trade, investment and food aid, as well as the development of biofuels production all of which contribute to define the international context in which states implement such reforms should be reshaped if national efforts are to be successful. The implication is that extraterritorial human rights obligations of states (their obligations to respect the right to food beyond their national territories, for instance in their food aid, investment or trade policies), as well as the strengthening of global governance of food security (as is currently being attempted with the reform of the Committee on World Food Security in Rome), have a key role to fulfill: domestic reforms will not achieve sustainable results unless the international environment is more enabling of the efforts of governments acting individually. In this reform process, accountability both at the domestic and international level is essential if sustainable progress is to be achieved in combating global hunger.
View this title in our link resolver Plinklet
This book presents a critical legal perspective on the current direction of EU food regulation. Analysing three regulatory mechanisms – mutual recognition, scientific risk regulation and standardisation – in the evolution of food legislation in the EU, the book shows the inadequacy of the current framework in facing the challenges of enlargement. Using the particular experience of a new member state, Poland, the book argues that enlarged Europe must not disregard diverse socio-economic implications of market regulation. Due to historical legacies and a bias in favour of homogeneity, EU food regulatory regime has generated a one-dimensional crisis-oriented approach. As a result, it tends to overlook other legitimate concerns such as quality, diversity and local traditions. This book argues that this need not be so.
View this title in our link resolver Plinklet
View this title in our link resolver Plinklet
View this title in our link resolver Plinklet
View this title in our link resolver Plinklet
This book presents a history of the negotiations towards a fair and market-oriented international agricultural trading system. After an introductory chapter outlining the provisions of the Agreement on Agriculture, the book considers the analysis and information exchange process launched by the 1996 Singapore Declaration and the failed 1999 Seattle Ministerial. The mandated Article 20 negotiations are discussed before consideration is given to the 2001 Doha Declaration. The negotiations are considered in the context of the Cancun and, Hong Kong Ministerials and the July 2008 mini-ministerial before a discussion of the latest version of the Modalities for the Agreement issued in December 2008. The work ends with a look back over the negotiations and consideration of the development dimension of the Doha Round.
View this title in our link resolver Plinklet
The Fight for the Right to Food gives important insights into the work of the UN’s first Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food from 2000 to 2008, written by the Special Rapporteur himself and his team. This book includes the essential conceptual and legal developments and offers an operational understanding of the right to food by documenting experiences from eleven countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America. It identifies the obstacles to the realisation of the right to food, sets out key challenges for the future, and pushes forward the frontiers of international human rights law to address the persistence of hunger in the face of globalisation.
“How has the World Food Programme come to be so well-regarded—even in the US—despite being part of the much-maligned UN system? What are the political and institutional conditions that have enabled it to accrue legitimacy as an international organization? And how much substance lies behind the perceptions of its effectiveness? Finding the answers to these questions in his analysis of the institutional politics of the WFP, Sandy Ross illustrates important larger issues about international institutions and global governance. He also shows that the very terms of its success limit the WFP’s capacity to change the systemic problems that generate large-scale global hunger.”
View this title in our link resolver PlinkletCurrent scientific evidence demonstrates that a sixth major extinction of biological diversity event is underway. The Earth is losing between one and ten percent of biodiversity per decade, mostly due to habitat loss, pest invasion, pollution, climate change, over-harvesting and disease. Certain natural ecosystem services, which are vital for human societies, are under stress.
Read more
McMahon, J.A., The Negotiations for a New Agreement on Agriculture, Leiden (etc.), Nijhoff, 2012.
Rayfuse, and N. Weisfelt (eds.), The Challenge of Food Security: International Policy and Regulatory Frameworks, Cheltenham, Elgar, 2012
Adam, É., Droit International de l'Agriculture: Sécuriser le Commerce des Produits Agricoles, Paris, L.G.D.J., 2012
Masson-Matthee, M.D., The Codex Alimentarius Commission and its Standards, The Hague, T.M.C. Asser Press, 2007.
Shiva, V., The Violence of the Green Revolution: Third World Agriculture, Ecology and Politics, London, Zed Books, 1991
Zurek, K., European Food Regulation after Enlargement: Facing the Challenges of Diversity, Leiden (etc.), Nijhoff, 2012.
