Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, par. 92 (2016)

Text of the recommendation

92. To promote meaningful change, actions must also be directed at the food system level to make it more “nutrition sensitive”. It is imperative that global food systems move away from agro-industrial production methods that are responsible for dietary monotony and reliance on ultraprocessed food and beverages towards a system that supports food sovereignty, small-scale producers and local markets, based on ecological balance, agro-biodiversity and traditional practices. Food sovereignty allows peoples to define their own policies and strategies for sustainable production, distribution and consumption of food. Globally, the majority of food is supplied by local farmers. Therefore, efforts to combat malnutrition should support smallholder farmers and promote nutrition-sensitive production. Agroecology ensures food and nutrition security without compromising the economic, social and environmental needs of future generations. (...)