Food Insecurity, Vulnerability and Human Rights Failure

'This book is a very important and timely analysis of interactions between food insecurity, vulnerability and the right to food. Given the continued failure to meet global hunger reduction targets set by the international community it is vitally important to have rigorous analysis of what does and doesn't work. This book, through its wide-ranging coverage of different country and regional experiences, and through its focus on the multi-faceted elements of the hunger problem, provides that analysis. It will be of great importance and utility to policy makers as well as to academics working in the area. I strongly recommend it.' Nick Chisholm, Senior Lecturer in International Development and Food Policy, University College Cork, Ireland

'This volume provides a valuable addition to WIDER's rich body of work on the issues of poverty and distributive justice. The essays in this volume should be essential reading for policymakers who remain committed to ending hunger within a more just society.' Rehman Sobhan, Chairman, Centre for Policy Dialogue, Dhaka

'Any single approach to understanding food security oversimplifies. This collection of analyses from various perspectives and contexts helps us to recognize the richness of the food security concept. We may be tempted to take one way of understanding the causes, character and remedies for food insecurity as the correct one, but this volume teaches us that openness to multiple approaches can enrich our appreciation of the meaning of food security.' George Kent, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Hawaii

'This notable book was not written for readers who are looking for quick and simple solutions of the problem of hunger, but for those who seek to understand the multi-faceted character of food insecurity and who wish to learn from practical experiences. The value of the book lies in the understanding of food insecurity as an outcome of a complex set of physical, economic, social, and political factors and in the special attention to critical determinants, such as vulnerability, gender inequality, and human rights violations, to special issues such as the role of HIV/AIDS or micro-nutrient deficiency, and to experiences with safety net policies as necessary components of comprehensive food security programmes.' Hartwig de Haen, Former Assistant Director-General, FAO and retired Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen

'There is much to commend in these papers. In particular researchers in food security will find the papers very useful for identifying priority issues, understanding the methodological complexities and achieving a workable balance between analytical rigour and the limitations of data. While these are tempting areas to comment on, we choose to focus this review on alarming signals which the book provides about the weak prospects for eliminating food insecurity in the near future.' V.M. Rao, Economic& Political Weekly

'...this book takes a timely fresh look at food security and global hunger.' - Food Ethics (The Magazine of the Food Ethics Council)