Episode 43: Hunger is a political failure

EU Watchdog Radio

This is the 43d episode of EU Watchdog Radio where we talk all things food security, food systems and the (often political) violence that is omni-present around the world when it comes to one of our basic needs: food.
It ‘s an important year for the global food security debate and the current heated EU political debate on this topic is not looking very promising. The biggest political family EPP declared officially that they want to end all greening policies for agriculture and basically all policies that protect or improve biodiversity. Now even president Macron, Ursula von der Leyen and Belgian prime minister Decroo defend this position as well. A position that was carefully prepared by powerful agrochemical corporations and their lobby agents. The main and very fake argument they use since the war in Ukraine started: we need to boost food production.
To find out more about the issue of food security we talk to Special UN Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, who based in the US. Fakhri presented his report on Conflict and the right to Food to the Human Rights Council of UN General Assembly this Spring.
In that report, he gives an account of how different forms of violence in food systems harm people and generate the conditions that lead to human rights violations, like hunger. According to Fakhri food systems not only produce food but also amplify and produce violence that makes people more poor, vulnerable and marginalized. He repeats that “hunger and food insecurity always are a result of political failure” not an issue of production.
Fakhri also talks about the increasing wealth and power of food-sector billionaires, and the alarming trend of global corporations taking over UN policy processes. During today’s food crisis, transnational corporations in the agrifood sector are profiteering while people struggle and suffer as life gets harder.
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This podcast is produced by CEO and Counter Balance. Both NGOs raise awareness on the importance of good governance in the EU by researching issues like lobbying of large and powerful industries, corporate capture of decision making, corruption, fraud, human rights violations in areas like Big Tech, agro-business, biotech & chemical companies, the financial sector & public investment banks, trade, energy & climate, scientific research and much more…
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