The interactions between right to food and right to science: the public good approach
20
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
-
Upload
universite-catholique-de-louvain -
Category
Education
-
view
272 -
download
0
description
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?
Transcript of The interactions between right to food and right to science: the public good approach
1
A PUBLIC GOOD APPROACH TO FOOD Exploring synergies between right to food & right to science
JOSE LUIS VIVERO POL PhD Research Fellow
in Food Governance
Ursus Wehrli. The art of clean up. Foto by Siusson in Flickr
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
Primary role of scientific research is
enhancement of humankind
GLOBAL PUBLIC GOOD
Science/Knowledge 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
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
• 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 speechF
oto
: S
an
deep
Th
ukal
6
WHO OWNS AGRICULTURAL
RESEARCH?
CGIAR vs. AGRI-BUSINESS
7
2012: $900 M CGIAR (research)– $500 M FAO and… $1.5 Billion Monsanto (Research)
8
WHO OWNS NUTRITIONAL RESEARCH?
Plumpy NutFrancia
Vitacereal (GUA): INCAP (public)
Alimentos de Guatemala SA (Private)
Nutriset holds US patent 6346284 (2002)
9
Knowledge-based Food Elements:
most are commons but patented seeds
Foto: Finabocci Blue Flickr Creative Commons
10
1. Science-based agricultural
knowledge by national institutions
Public copyrights by Universities
National Research
Institutions
Foto: Argonne National Laboratory
11
2. Traditional agricultural knowledge
Foto
s: Jo
se L
uis
V
ivero
12
3. Cuisine, recipes & national
gastronomy
Foto
: Carla
B
qn
eko
13
4. Food safety considerations (Codex
Alimentarius)
Foto
: Lia
nn
e
Mil
ton
Foto
: Maria
no
Bon
ora
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
Fo
to: E
dd
.ie
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
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
Fo
to: B
ioverity
Intern
ation
al
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
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
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
20
REFERENCESDe Schutter (2011). Human Rights Quarterly 33Vivero (2013). SSRN RepositoryHelfer (2004). Neth Q. Hum. Rights. 167Benkler (2006). The wealth of networks.Raustiala & Sprigman (2012). The knock off economy
