STWR - Share The World's Resources

Recurrent famine in Ethiopia illustrates the failure of international food aid policies for the past 25 years. Rather than prioritising emergency response; governments should encourage production in developing countries, invest in local infrastructure, and empower small-scale farmers, says a report by Oxfam International.

Food reserves could play an important role in a longer-term strategy to achieve universal food security if implemented as part of a new international framework for trade and agriculture, finds a study released today by Share The World's Resources.

In the run-up to World Food Day 2009, a number of reports reveal a global food system in urgent need of reform and call for the ‘right to food’ to guide the future governance of international agriculture.

The role of the International Financial Institutions in promoting foreign land acquisition has received little attention. Through controversial policies that facilitate 'land-grabbing', these organisations are risking the food security of millions, says a report by The Oakland Institute.

The right to adequate food, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, obliges governments to ensure food security for every citizen. Meeting this commitment requires a radical restructuring of national and international agricultural models, writes Kamalakar Duvvuru.

Agriculture is central to the livelihood of many in poor rural communities around the world. It is therefore imperative that development policies support small-scale farming in order to alleviate poverty and promote food security, says a report by Oxfam.

The political and economic risks of allowing foreign governments and private investors to purchase land in Africa far outweigh any gain. African governments must make food security for their own people paramount, writes Ama Biney.