Realizing the Right to Food: Exploring the Intersections of Hunger, Malnutrition, and Agricultural Policies on Food Security

This paper attempts to reveal the intricate relationship between food security and human rights that may be triggered by hunger and malnutrition. We dive further and examine the determinants of food insecurity namely, poverty, inequality in income and inequality of access to good food, conflict and climate change. In addition, the paper discusses agricultural policies that contribute to the exploitation of the small-scale farmers and encourages unsustainable practices thus creating food insecurity and leading to abuse of human rights. We examine how food insecurity infringes upon the right to life, health, and acceptable life standard that are the core of wellbeing of an individual and their dignity. In light of these analyses, the paper then provides policy recommendations on eradicating food insecurity and human rights protection that involve ensuring the empowerment of small-scale farmers, providing vulnerable people with access to nutrient-rich food, and reducing the factors that contribute to hunger and malnutrition by means of social-economic responses. In the conclusion, the imperativeness of making food security a human right issue has been emphasized by addressing the governments and the intergovernmental organizations on the need to take certain actions to achieve and advance food security and human rights of everyone.