Advocating for a Human Rights Approach to Food and Nutrition

Food is not just sustenance, but essential for life, dignity, and the socio-economic development of individuals, communities, and nations.

The right to food is a legal right provided for in international laws and recognized in the constitutions of over 30 countries globally. The constitution of Kenya 2010 explicitly expressed the right to food in Article 43 (1) (c) stating that every person has the right to be free from hunger and to have adequate food of acceptable quality.

Founded in 2021, the Right to Food Coalition Kenya is a diverse and inclusive alliance of 50 civil society organizations and individuals dedicated to the pursuit of and realization of the right to food. Our purpose is to see the eradication of hunger and food insecurity through a rights-based approach by advocating for the transformation of food systems, policies, and legislations, supporting grassroots initiatives, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders. Our members come from diverse constituencies including smallholder producers, grassroots organizations, NGOs, INGOs, researchers, academia, media, vulnerable and marginalized groups such as rural and urban poor, people living in arid and semi-arid lands, people with disability, women, and the youth.

Advocating for change: A right-based approach

The Coalition is advocating for a legal framework to implement Kenya's constitutional right to food, with policies, accountability, and redress mechanisms. It is pushing for meaningful and inclusive public participation through budget advocacy in the 2024/25 finance bill, lobbying political parties via the "Food Manifesto", and utilizing international human rights mechanisms like the Universal Periodic Review to report violations and hold the government accountable for past commitments.

The failure to fully implement a rights-based approach to food and nutrition security has weakened the progressive realization of the right to food in Kenya, particularly for vulnerable groups.

Barriers to realizing the right to food

Without an effective legal framework, rights holders are unable to hold the government accountable, and vulnerable communities are excluded from decision-making processes.

Although the Constitution guarantees the right to food, subsequent legal and policy documents, such as the Agricultural Sector Transformation & Growth Strategy (ASTGS) and the National Food and Nutrition Security Policy (NFNSP), focus more on agricultural productivity and commercialization rather than addressing critical enablers like social safety nets, income, and governance. This approach leaves those who are not directly involved in food production, or lack access to land and resources, at risk of food insecurity.

Additionally, the process of public participation in policymaking is inadequate and poorly executed, often excluding farmers, consumers, and key food system actors. The lack of transparency and unclear roles among stakeholders further complicates efforts to ensure accountability and collaboration leading to erosion of trust between stakeholders and policymakers.

This exclusion from decision-making increases power imbalances, perpetuates inequities, and disempowers farmers and poor consumers, ultimately undermining efforts toward the progressive realization of the right to food.

Grassroot Empowerment: Building awareness from the ground up

Building awareness of the right to food in food systems policies empowers both rights holders and duty bearers, enabling communities to claim their rights and demand government accountability. For instance, Rural Outreach Africa has supported the Bugamagi PWD group in Vihiga to successfully claim their cash transfer entitlements for food access. Some members who were wrongly removed from the program raised their grievances with the county government and were reinstated, demonstrating the power of awareness in securing rights.

The Institute for Social Accountability has trained community members and right to food ambassadors in western Kenya to use social accountability tools, such as community scorecards, to evaluate right to food programs like the fertilizer subsidy and agricultural services. Citizens assess the quality of these services and present their findings to duty bearers during stakeholder meetings. Together, rights holders and duty bearers then create an action plan to implement the recommendations and improve service delivery.

Fostering collaboration for greater impact

The Coalition leverages the expertise, knowledge, and skills of professionals, researchers, activists, and volunteers who contribute their time and energy toward right to food advocacy. So far, we have had capacity exchange sessions in budget advocacy, agroecology, social accountability, and international human rights instruments.

Collaboration and co-funding activities include joint analysis of the Voluntary Guidelines' use in Kenyan policymaking, review of the right-to-food framework, assessment of national investments in related sectors, preparation of National Assembly memoranda, and Universal Periodic Review reporting and stakeholder validation. We also co-develop TORs for the coalition working groups which include citizen engagement, research and evidence, and policy and legal working groups to promote ownership and accountability.

Moving forward: A call for support

We foster solidarity by rallying behind member campaigns, such as advocating for the removal of highly hazardous pesticides, protection of farmers' seed rights, opposition to austerity measures that raise food costs, inclusive decision-making, and improved agricultural services. Additionally, we collaborate with other social justice movements to strengthen collective efforts addressing systemic issues and advancing food justice.

In conclusion, there is a lot to be done to raise awareness of a human rights approach to food and nutrition- to both rights holders and duty bearers. The Coalition is actively pursuing grants, donations, and sponsorships from organizations, governments, and individuals who share our vision.