Farmers' Rights To Food Sovereignty

Food sovereignty is essential to ensure the rights of the farmers. As producers, farmers play an important role when it comes to production, storage, pricing, distribution, and regulation of food. The concept of food sovereignty is not just about the right to food for any nation but also encompasses political and legal dimensions. The idea was first articulated during the 1996 World Food Summit that was held in Rome with the theme of 'Future Without Hunger'.

Moreover, food security stipulates that ample and sustainable food is readily available to all citizens, allowing everyone to have nutritious and healthy food. Article 36 of constitution guarantees food rights, food security, and food sovereignty as fundamental rights of citizens. To implement these rights, the "Food Rights and Food Sovereignty Act, 2018" was enacted. This law not only ensures food rights and food security for every citizen but also establishes farmers' rights to sovereignty. It mandates local, provincial, and federal governments to respect, protect, and promote farmers by formulating policies, laws, and amendments. 

Farmers' rights

It is essential to address citizens' food rights, food security, and food sovereignty through policy and legal frameworks by all layers of governments. Food security and food sovereignty represent two different concepts. While food sovereignty bears political and economic aspects, food security deals with technicalities. Despite their differences, they complement each other. Food sovereignty advocates for the rights of producers, particularly farmers, while food security advocates for the rights of consumers. Both assert that every citizen should have access to clean and nutritious food, and the absence of food should not endanger anyone's life. This is considered an integral aspect of human rights. 

Food insecurity not only affects individuals but also impacts families, societies, and the entire nation, leading to social unrest and jeopardising peace building efforts. In the changing global scenario, Nepal's current situation, future prospects, challenges, and potential solutions regarding food security have significant implications for human and national security. The main factors causing challenges to food sovereignty and security are climate change, natural disasters such as droughts, excessive rainfall, and floods, environmental degradation, increasing fragmentation and urbanisation of arable land, occasional epidemics, and population growth. 

The policies, legal frameworks, and structural arrangements related to food security and sovereignty are not effectively enforced. The lack of awareness among farmers about sustainable farming practices and water management, reliance on traditional agricultural methods, insufficient irrigation facilities, the creation of water scarcity due to excessive groundwater extraction, ongoing soil erosion and fertility depletion have also hindered in attaining food sovereignty and security.

Along with these, other problems include inadequate dissemination of agricultural knowledge, unavailability of seeds and fertiliser in sufficient quantities and lack of research in agriculture. There is the need for modernisation, commercialisation, and scientific advancement in agriculture, and the establishment of a food management information system. It is also essential to identify food-insecure areas and promote supportive food programmes to address them. Nepal is still lacking to pay special attention to production, storage, and marketing/distribution activities of food items.

In order to address the challenges of food security and sovereignty, it is imperative to strictly enforce agricultural policies and legal provisions, establish agricultural roads and cooperative systems in rural areas to facilitate the commercialisation of agricultural production. Farmers should be provided with timely access to fertilizers and seeds. Adopting geography- and climate-friendly farming systems, conducting research-oriented work for the development of agricultural systems, enhancing irrigation facilities, discouraging land degradation and fragmentation enables to boost production and productivity of food.

Dietary habits

Additionally, we need to improve our dietary habits. We should change our thinking that rice is the only staple food and meals solely consist of rice, lentils, and vegetables. Excessive demand for rice and insufficient demand for other food items, leads to instability in supply and demand, which adversely affects food security. 

Due to Nepal's geographical structure, different types of climates, and biological diversity, the immediate food crisis hasn't been observed. However, in order to ensure food security and sovereignty, it is necessary to address the aforementioned issues promptly and take appropriate steps accordingly. Failing to do so could lead to adverse consequences, hence we all need to remain alert at all times. The food we produce makes us self-reliant, rather than dependent on others for food. This self-sufficiency created by food production is the main basis for ensuring food sovereignty and food security. 

(The author is co-supervisor at the Lincoln University College Nepal Chapter.)