A/65/281
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food
Summary
Access to land and security of tenure are essential for the enjoyment of the
right to food. The present report explores the threats posed by the increasing
pressures on land and on three categories of land users: indigenous peoples,
smallholders and special groups such as herders, pastoralists and fisherfolk. It
explores how States and the international community could better respect, protect
and fulfil the right to food by giving increased recognition to land as a human right.
The report argues that, while security of tenure is indeed crucial, individual
titling and the creation of a market for land rights may not be the most appropriate
means to achieve it. Instead, the report suggests, the strengthening of customary land
tenure systems and the reinforcement of tenancy laws could significantly improve
the protection of land users. Drawing on the lessons learned from decades of agrarian
reform, the report emphasizes the importance of land redistribution for the
realization of the right to food. It also argues that development models that do not
lead to evictions, disruptive shifts in land rights and increased land concentration
should be prioritized.
Contents
Page
I.
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3
II.
Existing pressures on land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5
III.
Protection of land users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7
A.
Indigenous people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7
B.
Smallholders cultivating land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9
C.
Herders, pastoralists and fisherfolk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13
Agrarian reform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14
A.
Why agrarian reform? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14
B.
Contribution of land reform to the realization of the right to adequate food . . . . . . . . . . .
17
Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
19
IV.
V.
2
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