FIAN Blog: Right to food rooted in territories but needs state support
Communities and social movements are at the forefront of building healthy just and sustainable food systems. Yet, achieving the human right to food and nutrition also requires the active commitment of states. The Policies against Hunger Conference in Berlin this week demonstrated just how difficult this is in a time of interconnecting global crises, rising military budgets, and the growing influence of far-right political forces, write Ana Maria Suarez Franco and Philip Seufert.
Germany has long played a prominent role in championing the right to food, both rhetorically and through concrete support for international mechanisms like the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS). The CFS is recognized as the most inclusive global forum on food policy, grounded in the right to food and notable for enabling direct and autonomous participation of rights holders – such as small-scale food producers, Indigenous Peoples, women, and youth – through its Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples Mechanism.
Central role of right to food
The German government regularly hosts the Policies against Hunger Conference, creating space for dialogue among governments, UN agencies, academia, and civil society. This year’s conference – held from June 23 to 25 in Berlin – was the first major event under the new German coalition government, formed amid increasing support for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). The transfer of control over the Agriculture and Food Ministry, from the Green Party to the Conservative bloc, raised questions about Germany’s future direction: would it maintain its commitment to the right to food?
By the conference’s close, the answer appeared cautiously optimistic. Under the theme “From Rights to Action”, German officials and international participants reaffirmed the centrality of the right to food in shaping national and global policy. Discussions focused on five key themes: access to land, gender equality, the bioeconomy, agricultural value chains, and ensuring the right to food in the Global North.
Civil society organizations (CSOs) brought vital perspectives, with participants from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. These groups – including peasants, Indigenous Peoples, women’s collectives, urban activists, and NGOs – played a key role in shaping debates and advocating for stronger human rights-based approaches from governments and multilateral institutions like the FAO.
Contradictions
Still, the conference revealed significant contradictions between state rhetoric and practice. Germany, despite its advocacy, falls short in several areas. For example, it has yet to recognize its extraterritorial obligations in the long-standing Kaweri case in Uganda, where over 4,000 people were evicted to make way for a coffee plantation linked to a German company. Germany-based investors have also financed agribusiness projects in Zambia, causing displacements and environmental destruction. In these and other cases, affected communities, with support from FIAN Germany, continue to seek justice.
Perhaps the starkest contradiction lies in Germany’s stance on Gaza. Invoking its historical responsibility to Israel, Germany has avoided addressing Israel’s systematic violations of Palestinians’ right to food – such as the destruction of over 80% of Gaza’s cropland and the blockade on fishing and food access.
At the conference’s opening, CSOs demanded a space to discuss the issue. The German Food and Agriculture Ministry agreed to a dedicated session, where participants urged Germany to act, including calling on the government to:
- take all available means to end Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon of war and genocide
- enforce international law, including the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
- ensure immediate, unimpeded humanitarian food aid delivery by multilateral aid agencies, which act according to the principles established by international humanitarian law
- halt arms sales to Israel, impose sanctions, and suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement
While ministry officials offered no clear commitments, they promised to convey these demands to the ministerial level and other relevant ministries.
In conclusion, the Policies against Hunger Conference 2025 underscored the vital importance of grassroots pressure. While state-level and international commitments are crucial, the realization of the right to food and nutrition continues to depend on the relentless organizing of social movements, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society. Encouragingly, the conference made connections to upcoming global initiatives – including Brazil’s Global Alliance against Poverty and Hunger (GAPH) and the second International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD+20), organized by Colombia in 2026. But the daily struggle for food justice remains rooted in people’s territories, where the fight for human rights continues to be both urgent and essential.
Download: Civil society organizations’ statement
For more information please contact Ana María Suárez Franco: Suarez-Franco@fian.org or Philip Seufert: Seufert@fian.org