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Tan Meng Hong Edwin

Assignment 1: Reflective Summary

Word Count: 600

In his article, Olivier De Schutter argues that the FAO should do more to advocate food as a

basic human right. He mentions that the FAO can help the disadvantaged group by supporting

agricultural development. Even though the FAO is comprised of many other members, he

argues that the institution must be firm on what it represents for. Furthermore, he feels that the

FAO is still reluctant in supporting some programs that can be beneficial. By normalizing the

right to food, it will then provide the FAO with an impetus to push for the alleviation of hunger,

especially among the food insecure. He concludes that this will assist the FAO in separating

the entities that have a vested interest in the issue of hunger.

Upon reflection, I believe that the FAO should ramp up its support for developing countries.

Often, we lament at how governments of developing countries fail to provide adequate food

for its people. But what we often fail to recognize is that the odds are already stacked against

them on all fronts. This results in the government failing to meet their people’s basic needs. I

will now attempt to delineate my arguments in the paragraphs below.

The FAO needs to collaborate with the WTO urgently and amend the current trade rules that

countries abide to. When the Indian government provides subsides to feed the hungry, they

“are being blamed for distorting trade in agriculture” (Sharma, 2013). However, when the US

did the exact same thing, they are “seen as doing humanitarian service” (Sharma, 2013). The

US then claims that India is violating the free trade regime being promoted by the WTO. As
India still requires the WTO’s assistance to access the world market, they have no choice but

to reduce the subsidies given out to the farmers. Clearly, the US is leveraging on its political

clout within the institutions to achieve its own self-seeking goals with a blatant disregard for

the people starving back in India. Carolan also mentions how no one should expect developing

and developed countries to adhere to the same trade rule standards and compete equally

(Carolan, 2013). The playing field is not even level to begin with. Hence, the FAO should

actively voice out such injustice so that the Indian government can safely feed its hungry people,

without the fear of any repercussion.

Moreover, the FAO should assist rural farmers in developing countries to safeguard their lands

for agricultural purposes. The right to food is closely linked to the access of land. De Schutter

observes that the FAO is “capable of promoting specific agricultural development that support

marginalized food producers” (Schutter, 2013). However, I am highly skeptical of FAO’s

involvement in this area. Brown mentions that large corporations have been making huge

profits by purchasing land in developing countries, such as Ethiopia. (Brown, 2012). These

land acquisitions rarely benefit the local community and the real winners are the corporations.

As a huge proportion of the population is engaged in agriculture, such acquisitions are forcing

the rural farmers out of their own land. Without a stable income, more and more farmers are

slipping into poverty and starvation. Yet, the silence from the FAO is deafening.

In conclusion, we have to be cognizant that there are real human costs involved behind such

actions. The right to food is inextricably linked to the right to life. The developing countries,

alone, are unable to solve the issue of hunger and will require external assistance. The FAO
needs to stand firm and work together with other multilateral organizations to regulate these

unfair and unjust trade and land-grabbing deals.

Reference list:

1. Carolan, M. (2013). Cheap Food, Globalization and Development. The real cost of

cheap food. (pp. 12-36) London: Routledge.

2. Brown, L. R. (2012). The Global Land Rush. Full planet, empty plates: The new

geopolitics of food scarcity. (pp. 101-113) New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

3. Schutter, O. D. (2013, March 04). The FAO must do more to promote food as a basic

human right | Olivier De Schutter. Retrieved from

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/mar/04/fao-

food-basic-human-right

4. Sharma, D. (2013, October 21). The WTO is destroying Indian farming. Retrieved

from https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/the-wto-is-destroying-indian-

farming/story-odaOg7LXmBZzUE7kiNE7MO.html

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