The value of agricultural land

Chapter 3 analyses the scholarly debate and literature relating to the human right to adequate food and national food security obligations according to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights . This chapter then explores food sovereignty as the defining concept at the heart of a growing socio-political food movement in Canada, France, the USA and other nations. This chapter will firstly analyse the Covenant’s right to adequate food and food security in the context of the four elements as outlined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations: availability, access, utilisation and stability. Secondly, it will discuss the broader and more holistic concept of food sovereignty; which encompasses the right of agricultural landholders and agrarian citizenship in the food production economy. The narrative of food sovereignty collectivises the rights of local farmers, growers and consumers as part of the demand for a sustainable food system in the face of growing external pressures on arable land. Finally, as part of the analysis forming this chapter, there is a consideration of the fundamental socio-legal dilemma of food security set against energy security as States continue to increase development of unconventional gas, often at the expense of rural landscapes and the agricultural economy.