There is no one in this world who would deny the importance of access to adequate food for every human being. In fact, access to food has been declared a human right in 1948 with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In spite of the right to food to be more than half a century old, many are not aware, misunderstand or even marginalize this human right. This book serves two purposes and many audiences. First, it is meant for those who want to get a better understanding of the right to food and how this right has been developed in international law. Second, it also explains why this human right has been marginalized by one of the richest countries in the world: the Netherlands. As such this unique collection of articles provides an exciting view on the making of law and policy, with contributions from lawyers, sociologists and human rights defenders.

Despite food-related policies, the global food system struggles with ecological sustainability, public health and robustness. The situation is no different in the Netherlands which, though it can be considered a food nation because of its large agro-food sector, has serious issues with diet-related ill-health such as obesities, cardio-vascular diseases, and diabetes. Governments are seriously concerned with these issues, because diet-related ill-health results in high social costs. Food and nutrition are however complex issues that cut across many different policy domains. At the same time, the food-related policies are developed at different governance levels. This thesis analyses how the integration between the different food-related policy domains can be enhanced to establish a sustainable and health-inducing food system. The research question is: to what extent does the Netherlands have an integrated food policy and which factors could enhance this integration? This research is executed by means of a literature review, policy analysis, and semi-structured interviews with relevant actors in the food policy domain. In addition to reflecting on theories of cross-domain and cross-level interactions, boundaries, boundary work, and relationships in public administration, this research investigates the different food-related policies in force in the Netherlands. Although the Netherlands has a monocentric organized governance system with ministerial responsibility and hierarchic and stovepiped structured Ministeries, it increasingly has to deal with multidisciplinary policy issues like food and nutrition which demands interaction and cooperation between the involved actors. This thesis juxtaposes the monocentric approach to an interactive approach. The interactive approach is characterized by cross-domain and cross-level interactions, boundary work and relationships. Physical, social and mental boundary spanning can result in knowledge integration among the involved actors of the food system. The integration of knowledge could strengthen the separate food-related policies and prohibit contradictions, resulting in a more integrated food policy. To achieve integration of knowledge and policies, it is necessary to construct physical boundary objects that can build social connections. These social connection can enact strategies to enhance flows of information. Therein it is important to create co-authority and feelings of joined responsibility in order to develop a joined strategy and an integrated food policy that establishes a sustainable and health-inducing food system.

The Netherlands has built an agricultural sector that is a world leader in productivity and competitiveness. Policies for the Future of Farming and Food in the Netherlands takes stock of the current situation in the agriculture sector.

With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, food security still is a dream rather than reality: 'a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life'. Political commitments at world summits on food security, market-based agricultural policies, science-based food safety regulation and voluntary guidelines on the right to food have not ended hunger, malnourishment or food safety crises in our world. The question arises whether food insecurity is a situation that exists in spite of these commitments and legal measures, or rather due to them? This book has three purposes. Firstly, it offers insights in how law, politics and the right to food contribute to food security in both positive and negative ways. For this purpose, different theories, concepts and methodologies from legal, political, anthropological and sociological sciences are used and developed. Secondly, the book explains that food security and food policies cannot be treated as given, at one level or in one domain only. This is done in different ways: by pointing out the emergence of new paradigms on food security, human rights and science that shape food policies; by showing how law and policies at one level affect food security at another level; and by treating food security and food policies as linked to governance regimes of agriculture, food, feed, water or property. Finally, the book offers scholarly analysis of paradigms and practices but also presents social science-based ways to indirectly contribute to food security, varying from improving justiciability to building trust, from seeking ways to address non-scientific concerns to creating room for plurality of lifestyles and norms, from unmasking dominant discourse to understanding or strengthening abilities or arrangements to cope with vulnerability.

This study addressed the question of future food challenges and how these may play out. Part of the analysis focused on the question as to how we may enhance our understanding of the effects of climate change, increased population growth and rising incomes worldwide on future food systems. The worldwide food system is vulnerable to many influences. The approach used in this study focused on the most significant possible influencers of drivers, or the elements having the most effect on how drivers will develop. This approach was employed due to our understanding that the system’s complexity cannot be reduced to the drivers alone. The applied research method however allows us to look at the different aspects while recognizing their interlinkages.