Advancing Agroecology in International Law

ISBN-13: 9781032563688 / Twarda / 2023 / 312 str.

Rob Amos

Opis

Producing enough food is a basic human priority and a critical challenge in the face of a growing population and the deteriorating ecological health of the planet. Modern agricultural practices promise to maximise the productive efficiency of available land but are one of the main drivers of agro- and biodiversity loss.

Recenzje

Rob Amos makes an important and timely intervention on the impacts of agriculture on biodiversity at a time of planetary crisis. His creative approach and justification for international law’s facilitation of agroecology recognises the importance of reconceptualising how humans, and law, interact with the environment.

Dr Emily Webster, University of Cambridge (UK)

This is a much-needed work on a hugely important topic. Through carefully selected case studies, Advancing Agroecology in International Law provides a thought-provoking and detailed analysis of the ability of international legal frameworks to support a transition to agroecology. It is essential reading for anyone interested in creating food systems that feed us while also sustaining the planet.

Dr Helena Howe, University of Sussex (UK)

Rob Amos has produced a work of rigorous and measured scholarship on a topic that implicates us all: the deeply-rooted interconnections between global agriculture, the global environment, and international law. His case study on the climate crisis’s impacts on Kiribati is both a cautionary tale and a convincing argument that the agroecology framework can help map a way forward.

Prof. Mehmet Konar-Steenberg, Mitchell Hamline School of Law (Minnesota, USA).

An in depth dive into international law and what this means for agroecology. From clearly defining legal concepts to highlighting conflicting policy goals, Rob Amos's case studies allow us to understand and question how international law may help encourage agroecological systems.

Ellen Fay, Executive Co-Director of the Sustainable Soils Alliance (SSA)

Spis treści

Foreword xii

Preface and Acknowledgements xiv

Table of International Treaties and Agreements xv

PART 1

Protecting Diversity 1

Introduction: Agroecology and the Law 3

Defining Agroecology 5

Locating Agroecology in the Law 8

The Structure of This Book 12

1 Conservation of Agrobiodiversity 14

International Conservation Law and Agriculture 14

The Convention on Biological Diversity 16

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation 29

Conclusions 33

2 Monocultures and Genetic Diversity 34

The Rise of the Monoculture 34

Invasive/Alien Species and Disease 35

Intellectual Property Rights and Crop Genetic Diversity 39

Protecting Traditional Agricultural Knowledge 50

Conclusions 55

3 Genetically Modified Organisms and Organic Agriculture 56

GMOs in Socioecological Networks 56

Organic Agriculture and GMOs in the Context of Agroecology 57

Responding to the Risks of GMOs 61

Creating Space for GM Crops in Agroecological Networks 74

Conclusions 76

4 Landscapes 78

Defining ‘Landscape’ 78

A Right to Landscape? 80

International Programmes for Landscape Protection 83

Conclusions 90

PART 2

Supporting Socioecological Relationships 91

5 Ecosystem Services 93

Ecosystem Services and Agroecology 93

Ecosystem Services and International Conservation Law 95

Incorporating Ecosystem Services into International Law 99

Conclusions 110

6 Soil Conservation and Land Degradation 112

Soil and Sustainability 112

Soil Conservation in International Law 113

A Soil Treaty? 117

Land Degradation and Desertification 122

Conclusions 129

7 Water Conservation 131

Our Changing Perceptions of Water 131

Natural Water Infrastructure 132

Protecting Freshwater Ecosystems in International Law 135

Aquaculture 143

Conclusions 148

8 Climate Change 150

Agriculture and Climate Change 150

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change 152

Climate Change Adaptation in Kiribati 154

Conclusions 163

PART 3

Agroecology in a Globalised World 165

9 Environmental Assessment 167

The Origins of Environmental Assessment 167

Defining Environmental Assessment 168

Environmental Assessment in International Law 177

(Re)Introducing Ecology to Environmental Assessment 184

Conclusions 188

10 Transboundary Pollution 189

Agriculture and Pollution 189

Transboundary Air Pollution 191

Persistent Organic Pollutants 199

Unified Approaches to Hazardous Substances and Pollutants 203

Conclusions 207

11 International Trade 209

Neoliberalism and Agroecology 209

Agroecology, Trade and the Environment in the WTO 211

The WTO’s Rules on Agricultural Trade 215

Regulating the Drivers of Zoonotic Disease 221

Conclusions 230

PART 4

Agroecology in Society 231

12 Tracing a Path from Food Security to Food Justice 233

Food (In)Security and International Law 233

Food Security 235

The Right to Food 239

Food Sovereignty 242

Food Justice 246

Conclusions 251

Conclusion: Finding Space for Agroecology 253

Index 263

O autorze

Rob Amos is a Lecturer in Law at Greenwich University, UK.