The Human Right to Food and Sustainable Soil Management: Linking Voluntary Agricultural Sustainability Standards with Food Security

Abstract

Land degradation and deforestation worldwide threaten future food and non-food biomass provision. Induced mainly by unsustainable land use and management practices, land degradation may hinder the global shift towards green or bio-economies which requires increasing supplies of biomass. As a strong linkage exists between soil management, biomass production and food security, the need for sustainable land management practices and suitable governance mechanisms emerges. Rising concerns about sustainability have led to the development of voluntary certification standards to ensure that biomass is sustainably produced. So far, these voluntary standards have a strong ecological focus and include only selected social aspects. Food security and the linkage between the Human Right to adequate Food and soil management are hardly addressed though they are a key element of the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and important for (export) production and processing in low- and middle-income countries. The Sustainable Development Goal 2—to end all forms of hunger by 2030—clearly includes sustainable soil management and agriculture. The unification of these two targets in one goal underlines the dependency of the realization of the Human Right to adequate Food on sustainable land management and land-use patterns.

In this chapter we first discuss how the Human Right to adequate Food, which is applicable in over 100 countries, is linked to sustainable management of soils and the implications of this linkage. Then we show how the Human Right to adequate Food can be ensured in local biomass production and in certification systems in food-insecure regions. We present a conceptual framework to integrate the Human Right to adequate Food in certified biomass production, processing and trade. Then we suggest food security criteria that ensure that this right is not violated by certified biomass operators, and can be easily integrated in existing voluntary sustainability standards for biomass. We develop 45 criteria classified in 17 themes relevant for the fulfilment of the Human Right to adequate Food. The criteria are applicable to all biomass types and uses and serve as a best-practice set to complement sustainability standards.

Annex: The Developed 45 Rights-Based Food Security Criteria

Food security dimension	#	Criteria
Stability	1	Democracy, good governance, human rights and the rule of law (RtaF-G. 1)
	1.1	The operator must demonstrate compliance with all applicable national, regional and local laws and regulations.
	1.2	The operator holds a written policy committing to the UN “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights” in all operations and transactions. The implementation of the policy must be documented and communicated to all levels of the workforce and operations.
	2	Strategies (RtaF-G. 3)
	2.1	The operator endorses existing national strategies with regard to food security and does not contradict them by any of its business activities.
	3	Sustainability (RtaF-G. 8E)
	3.1	The operator has to apply Good Agricultural Practices (concerning soil management, chemical application and use, water management, fertilizer application).
	4	Natural and man-made disasters (RtaF-G. 16)
	4.1	The operator recognizes all national and /or international natural disaster risk assessments, strategies and maps in the business plan/strategy.
	4.2	The operator informs suppliers and communities in the concerned region about natural risks and provides support in case of strong adverse natural and man-made disasters.
Access	5	Economic development policies (RtaF-G. 2)
	5.1	Provision of a business plan showing evidence of long-term economic viability of the operation.
	5.2	The operator has to provide fair, legal and transparent arrangements with suppliers. Agreed payments shall be made in a timely manner.
	6	Market systems (RtaF-G. 4)
	6.1	The operator adopts an implementation plan supporting local value creation.
	6.2	The operator must not reduce the access to markets for local communities through its operations.
	7	Labour (RtaF-G. 8A)
	7.1	The operator shows full compliance with the ILO Core Conventions and the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
	7.2	The operator pays wages for all workers according at least to the calculated national adequate Living Wages.
	7.3	If payment for piecework is applied, the pay rate, based on an eight-hour workday, allows workers to earn at least the adequate Living Wage.
	7.4	Men and women earn equal pay for equal work.
	7.5	The workers are not subjected to any form on discrimination in hiring, remuneration, benefits, access to training, promotion, termination, retirement or any other aspect of employment, based on race, colour, gender, religion, political opinion, national extraction, social origin, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, marital status, union membership, age or any other condition that could give rise to discrimination. Their awareness is for discriminatory practices is trained.
	7.6	The workers confirm that no deductions from wages as a result of disciplinary measures are made.
	7.7	The operator provides all employees with fair, legal, written contracts, signed by both the employee and the employer.
	7.8	The operator endorses a health and safety policy where the main health and safety risks are assessed. An implementation plan addressing measures for mitigation of these risks is in place. The policy and plan applies to all workers, including contractors, workers and suppliers. The implementation is regularly monitored and improved.
	7.9	All workers involved in the operation shall be adequately trained in safe working, using adequate and appropriate protective equipment.
	7.10	An adequate share of workers must be trained in first aid.
	7.11	Occupational injuries shall be recorded using Lost Time Accident (LTA) metrics.
	8	Services (RtaF-G. 8 F)
	8.1	The operator provides agricultural services and capacity building for suppliers and communities inside the property (plantation). A plan and prove of activities has to be available.
	9	Safety nets (RtaF-G. 14)
	9.1	Workers are provided with medical care in case of accidents or work-related diseases. Additionally, workers are covered with a public accident and medical insurance, if existent in the respective country. Sick leaves are paid according to the law.
	9.2	All permanent workers are provided with an occupational pension fund according to the national law.
Availability	10	Land (RtaF-G. 8B)
	10.1	The operator respects all human rights and legitimate tenure rights, and conducts an appropriate assessment to prevent any adverse impacts on these.
	10.2	All decisions regarding land rights and land-use rights, such as buying, selling or valuing related to the operator are based on the free, prior, and informed consent of all stakeholders involved.
	10.3	There has been no forced or involuntary physical or economic displacement, resettlement or relinquishment of land rights for the purpose of the production.
	10.4	Land used by the operator may not be under dispute, contested and/or under conflict.
	11	Water (RtaF-G. 8C)
	11.1	The operator implements a water management plan and monitoring system. If communities rely on the same water source, the plan must be agreed with free, prior, and informed consent of all stakeholders involved, and may not be under dispute.
	11.2	Water used by the operator does not negatively affect availability, quality and access to the water supply to communities which rely on the same water resources. There has to be a continuous monitoring of the availability, quality and access to the water resources.
Utilization	12	Food safety and consumer protection (RtaF-G. 9)
	12.1	The operator must not use pesticides and chemicals that are categorised as World Health Organisation Class 1A, 1B, or 2 and/or that are listed by the Stockholm or Rotterdam Conventions. Any use of pesticides and other chemicals must be documented.
	12.2	The operator uses integrated pest management (IPM) and supports scheme suppliers with training in IPM.
	12.3	Workers have always access to safe drinking water.
	13	Nutrition (RtaF-G. 10)
	13.1	The operator shall make demonstrable efforts to improve workers’ access to adequate, safe, sufficient and affordable food.
	13.2	Breastfeeding women have two additional 30-min breaks per day to nurture the child.
Cross-cutting	14	Stakeholders (RtaF-G. 6)
	14.1	The operator has to establish an internal grievance mechanism for workers and an external grievance mechanism for stakeholders. The mechanism has been made known and is accessible to the communities. All grievances are documented and monitored. A responsible person for grievances is named and known to the workers and communities around the farm.
	14.2	The affected persons and communities at large support the project before the operator starts the process.
	15	Women’s rights and gender equity (RtaF-G. 8)
	15.1	Women should not be discriminated, and their rights have to be respected.
	15.2	No work with pesticides must be undertaken by pregnant or breastfeeding women.
	16	Education and awareness raising (RtaF-G. 11)
	16.1	The operator implements a formal training programme that covers all agricultural activities of the company (e.g. use and application of chemicals and fertilizers). This includes regular assessments of training needs and documentation of the programme.
	16.2	All children living on the operation have access to quality primary school education which does not exceed local school fees.
	17	Monitoring, indicators and benchmarks (RtaF-G. 17)
	17.1	The operator has to conduct an ex-ante impact assessment on food security and the Right to Food of concerned communities (on the operator’s property, within its operating scale (e.g. outgrower schemes) and nearby surrounding communities). The availability, access, quality and stability of food must not be negatively affected by the planned operator investments and activities. This applies only to new investments.
	17.2	The operator is responsible for ensuring food security for the inhabitants (communities) within the operator’s property and administrative boundaries, even when the inhabitants are not employees of the operator. The food security situation must be monitored by a food security screening.
	17.3	In communities resettled according to the FPIC, the operator has to monitor the food security situation through a food security screening and, for example, a continuous dialogue, and ensure their food security.
	17.4	Operations where a large impact is expected (e.g. operations above 1000ha) have to conduct a food security screening also in the surrounding communities of the operator’s property and administrative boundaries. In the surrounding communities the availability, access, quality and stability of food must not be reduced by the operator’s activities. The operator is responsible for ensuring that the investment does not create or exacerbate local or national food insecurity.

1. Adapted from Mohr et al. (2016)