The right to food: Asia’s path to ensuring a sustainable future

The right to food is a fundamental human right recognized internationally. It ensures that every individual has access to adequate food that is nutritious and safe, enabling a healthy and active life. This right is not merely about ensuring enough food to avoid hunger but extends to providing sustainable access to diverse, culturally appropriate and nutritious food sources. Promoting the right to food is essential for achieving broader social, economic and political stability, particularly in regions like Asia and the Pacific, where food insecurity and malnutrition remain pressing issues.

In Asia, the situation of food insecurity is alarming. According to recent reports by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), around 418 million people in Asia are undernourished, with significant numbers of children suffering from stunted growth due to chronic malnutrition. The FAO has been at the forefront of efforts to promote and protect the right to food, highlighting its importance as the theme for World Food Day in 2024. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security, adopted by nearly all countries in Asia-Pacific. These guidelines provide a comprehensive framework for governments to ensure that food systems are sustainable, inclusive and resilient.

Several countries in Asia-Pacific have taken significant legal and policy measures to promote and protect the right to food and reduce these alarming numbers. India, for example, has strengthened its food security measures by introducing the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) in 2020, providing free food grains to millions of families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the Philippines, the “Zero Hunger” program, launched in 2020, includes a mix of direct interventions, such as school feeding programs, improving agricultural productivity and ensuring food supply chains are resilient to shocks. The government also passed the Community-Based Monitoring System Act, to better track and address food insecurity and poverty at the local level.

Bangladesh has also made strides in ensuring food security through its National Social Security Strategy updated in 2020, which incorporates various social safety net programs aimed at reducing hunger and malnutrition among the poorest households.

Vietnam has adopted the National Action Plan on Zero Hunger, initiated in 2021, focused on improving nutrition among children and enhancing food security through sustainable agricultural practices and increased investment in rural development.

These initiatives demonstrate tangible positive impacts, including improved health outcomes, reduced child malnutrition rates and increased food security among vulnerable populations. They underscore the importance of legal frameworks and policies that prioritize food access and nutrition.

The right to food encompasses more than just access to food. It involves non-discrimination, ensuring that marginalized groups have equal access to food resources. It also includes the participation of people in decision-making processes regarding food policies, empowering them to influence the policies that affect their lives directly and encourages the consumption of nutritious and culturally appropriate food.

Ensuring the right to food means placing people at the center of agriculture and food systems policies and programs. It requires governments to create enabling environments where everyone can achieve food security and improve their quality of life.

Asia, home to more than half of the world’s population, plays a crucial role in shaping the future of global food security. Ensuring the right to food is not only a moral obligation but a necessity for sustainable development. By adopting inclusive policies and strategies that address the root causes of food insecurity, Asian countries can pave the way for a more equitable and sustainable future.

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Juan Echanove is the Right to Food lead of the FAO.