In this presentation, I explore the interactions between the right to food, the right to enjoy the scientific progress and the right to cultural manifestations, with concrete examples such as the agro-biodiversity, plant genetic resources, traditional knowledge, public funded research knowledge, cuisine recipes and food safety considerations. Whose science for what farmers? Who owns agricultural and nutritional innovations? do patents prevent or deter innovation for humankind? What does it mean the public approach to food?

1. A PUBLIC GOOD APPROACH TO FOOD
Exploring synergies between
right to food & right to science
1
JOSE LUIS VIVERO POL
PhD Research Fellow
in Food Governance
Ursus Wehrli. The art of clean up. Foto by Siusson in Flickr

2. 2
Recent example
on interactions
between the right
to food & the right
to benefit from
scientific
progress.
Justice Elena
Kagan:
“…that would
result in less
incentive for
innovation”

3. 3
Primary role of
scientific research is
enhancement of
humankind
GLOBAL PUBLIC
GOOD
Science/Knowled
ge is neither rival
nor excludable
SCIENCE: What for?
1. Profit ?
2. Soft Power/Dominance ?
3. Public Interest/Welfare ?
4. To simply know ?
Science to address
common needs
Foto Jimmy Smith. Flickr Creative Commons

4. 4
WHAT IS THE RIGHT TO FOOD?
It is the right to have
regular, permanent and
unrestricted access, either
directly or by means of
financial purchases, to
quantitatively and
qualitatively adequate and
sufficient food corresponding
to the cultural traditions of the
people to which the consumer
belongs, and which ensures a
physical and mental, individual
and collective, fulfilling and
dignified life free of fear.”
Jean Ziegler, A/HRC/7/5, para 17.
ICESCR
Is a binding
treaty for the
member
states
Foto: Jorge Salamanca
ICESCR (1976)
OG 12 (1999)
Voluntary Guidelines
(2005)
Optional Protocol
(2009)
Growing FNS Laws,
Constitutions &
jurisprudence

5. • Pasamos de la “Seguridad Alimentaria existe
cuando…” a “la realización de un derecho…”,
Leyes de SAN de Guatemala y Brasil (2005 y 2006)
• De “situación” a “derecho”, que se ha de
garantizar (por el Estado) y se puede exigir
(por los ciudadanos)
• El DA está desarrollándose desde hace 20 años
(PIDESC), luego su reconocimiento en los
países y ahora con la justiciabilidad.
The Right to Food has the same category,
protection & demandability than the right not to be
tortured and the right to freedom of speech
Foto:SandeepThukal

6. 6
WHO OWNS
AGRICULTURAL
RESEARCH?
CGIAR vs. AGRI-
BUSINESS

7. 2012: $900 M CGIAR (research)– $500 M FAO and…
$1.5 Billion Monsanto (Research)
7

8. 8
WHO OWNS
NUTRITIONAL
RESEARCH?
Plumpy Nut
Francia
Vitacereal (GUA):
INCAP (public)
Alimentos de Guatemala
SA (Private)
Nutriset holds US patent 6346284 (2002)

9. 9
Knowledge-based
Food Elements:
most are commons
but patented seeds
Foto: Finabocci Blue Flickr Creative Commons

10. 10
1. Science-based
agricultural knowledge
by national institutions
Public copyrights
by
Universities
National
Research
Institutions
Foto: Argonne National Laboratory

11. 11
2. Traditional agricultural knowledge
Fotos:JoseLuisVivero

12. 12
3. Cuisine, recipes &
national gastronomy
Foto:CarlaBq

13. 13
4. Food safety considerations
(Codex Alimentarius)
Foto:LianneMilton
Foto:MarianoBonora

14. 14
5. Genetic
Resources for Food
and Agriculture
WTO TRIPS
Patents prevent
innovation
(Benkler, 2006)
Fashion world, top
cuisine & software are
rather innovative
without patenting
systems (Raustiala &
Sprigman 2012)
ITPGRFA made seeds
a global common
good
Foto:Edd.ie

15. 15
Right to
Food
Right to
Science Right to
Culture
Cuisine
recipes
Traditional Agricultural
Knowledge (techniques
+ tools)
Agro-biodiversity
(seeds & breeds)
FOOD COMMONS (non-patented):
knowledge + physical assets
(seeds + dishes + cooking/cropping tools)

16. 16
Science for the
Right to Food
a. Open agricultural
innovations
b. Public Agricultural
Research
c. Nutritional information on
Junk Food
d. Open acces to scientific
research AGORA-OARE
e. Distributing science:
Extension Services
Foto:Bioverity
International

17. 17
But what about patents?
They reflect the ancient tension
between knowledge enclosure and
open-access knowledge
The Right to Science &
Culture are the rights to
benefit from human
knowledge

18. 18
Who has more capacity to
innovate: thousands of researcher
or hundreds of millions of farmers?
IITA Creative Commons in Flickr
A patent system
PROMOTES or DETERS
human creativity and innovation
for the common good?

19. 19
I am eager to exchange on hunger
eradication & the right to food and
I welcome any comment to this
presentation.
@joselviveropol
joseluisviveropol
http://hambreyderechoshumanos.blogspot.com
http://hungerpolitics.wordpress.com
Jose Luis Vivero
Pol
joseluisvivero@gmail.com

20. 20
REFERENCES
De Schutter (2011). Human Rights Quarterly 33
Vivero (2013). SSRN Repository
Helfer (2004). Neth Q. Hum. Rights. 167
Benkler (2006). The wealth of networks.
Raustiala & Sprigman (2012). The knock off economy