STWR - Share The World's Resources

Producing an ever-larger volume of agricultural commodities will not address the systemic fragility in our food system. To address the structural causes of hunger, governments must place human rights at the centre of any response to the global food crisis, says Olivier de Schutter.

Agricultural policies prescribed by industrialised countries have led to a food system dominated by private interests. But in the context of achieving global food security, maximization of international trade and corporate profits should not be the dominating forces, writes Daryll E. Ray.

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.

A high-profile scientific report has stressed the global need to promote sustainable biodiversity while supporting small-scale farmers. But will governments have the political will to rethink agriculture beyond business-as-usual, ask Lim Li Ching, Elenita Daño and Hira Jhamtan.

The crisis of rising food prices are leading people to question the fundamental rationale of pushing for more free trade.  What we need now is food sovereignty – the kind that is defined and driven by small farmers and fisherfolk themselves, argues GRAIN.

The epidemic of biopiracy is an assault on our living heritage of biodiversity and cumulative innovation embodied in the traditional knowledge of agriculture and medicine. 

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have together seen 89,362 farmers’ suicides between 1997 and 2005.