Realizing the right to food in an era of climate change
This report (PDF) by Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) highlights the role of small-scale farmers as innovators and custodians of food system diversity, a critical resource in ensuring the realization of the right to food in an era of climate change. Taking an innovation systems perspective, it proposes a new framework for the design of collaborative agricultural research projects and agendas, and notes the need for pro-active policy measures in creating an enabling environment for such partnerships. The authors recommend that the right to food should be interpreted to include the diversity that underpins future food security. Proactive measures need to be undertaken to protect agrobiodiversity, local knowledge and the diversity of farm management practices employed by small-scale farmers around the world, recognizing their ability to adapt. Having a rights-based legal framework and national strategies in place could help facilitate this.