Global Food Governance: A Farmer’s Perspective

This year Emergent Generation member Anna Wylie has participated in a course on ‘Critical Approaches to Global Food Systems Law and Policy’ organised by University of Antwerp, Università di Roma Tre and Terra Nuova. This blog provides her reflections from the course and highlights the need for international dialogue on food and farming to be informed by local realities.

Inspired by the learnings from this course, and through her role as an ambassador for the Back the Future project, she is advocating for better youth inclusion in policy spaces to enable young people to inform and shape policies that support more sustainable agri-food systems. She will be attending the Emergent Generation Summer Gathering and is looking forward to connecting with fellow Em Gen members who are interested in supporting these efforts!

Coming from a beef and arable farm near Burntisland, Fife, my connection to food systems is deeply personal. I, alongside farmers across the UK and globally, face a plethora of issues - adverse weather conditions, market instability, poor trade deals and soaring input costs - all while food insecurity rises. In such uncertain times, strong governmental backing is critical, yet post-Brexit policies have fallen short of championing British farmers and, more broadly, are failing to protect society’s right to food.

Having studied law and completed two master’s in International Law of Global Security, Peace and Development and in International Security, specialising in economics, sustainability and governance, I was interested to place the challenges I was experiencing on the farm and, in turn, the challenges that have resulted in a global food crisis within the broader poly-crisis - in which climate change, a global pandemic, geopolitical instability and economic and debt challenges are deeply entwined - and gain a better understanding of the legal and policy frameworks that are needed for food systems transformation.

Thanks to the Roy Watherston Memorial Trust I was given the opportunity to examine the role of law in shaping food systems through attending a course on Critical Approaches to Global Food Systems Law and Policy, an initiative organised by the University of Antwerp, Università di Roma Tre and Terra Nuova.

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Antwerp: Theoretical Foundations

The course commenced in Antwerp in February 2025. With 16 participants from over 10 countries, the group brought together diverse expertise in law, political science, sociology and nutrition. As the only participant working as a farmer, I found it valuable to contribute a farming perspective to food systems discussions. For me, this highlighted how crucial it is that a diversity of farming perspectives are included in policy processes concerning food system transformation.

The week in Antwerp focused on developing our theoretical understanding of food systems, contextualising broader economic and legal theories within global food governance, and encouraging us to think systemically about the interrelations between law, policy and food systems. Leading academics delivered sessions on topics such as the financialisaton of food systems, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP), and the global concentration of power in food systems. We critically examined how legislative frameworks on trade, intellectual property and labour have reinforced existing power dynamics. We also had the opportunity to engage with Michael Fakhri (UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food), Olivier De Schutter (UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights), and Leonard Mizzi (Head of Unit for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Fisheries at the European Commission.) These discussions emphasised the central challenge of financing food system transformation.

Additionally, the current weaponisation of food in war was examined. Michael Fakhri discussed his unique use of graphic reportage, in this case a comic, in a UN Human Rights Report on ‘Starvation and the right to food, with an emphasis on the Palestinian people’s food sovereignty’. I found the comic to be a powerful tool to disseminate local farmers’ stories of resistance and resilience and it provided me with a strong appreciation for the use of alt

ernative communications in advocacy work.

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From Theory to Practice

The time between Antwerp and the second part of the course in Rome was spent working within smaller ‘working groups’ towards the completion of a policy brief focused on territorial markets. With corporate value chains remaining favoured by governments and policymakers, these markets have been largely ignored. Our brief sought to build upon existing reports on the development of territorial markets and food systems by identifying policy barriers to accessing and promoting these markets, as well as showcasing best practices. 

Through this, I participated in conversations and interviews conducted with farmers’ organisations, members of civil society organisations and actors involved in negotiations at the Rome-based agencies. The primary research I conducted for the brief concerned sustainable public food procurement (PFP) strategies, exploring success stories where local efforts have challenged the ‘value for money’ ethos that traditionally dictates procurement strategies. Instead, a number of strategies have enabled family farmers and other small-scale producers to meet PFP tenders, supported the adoption of agroecological practices, and promoted a more participatory approach.

I was able to apply the knowledge I gained in Antwerp during the Scottish Rural Leadership Programme, when I had the opportunity to engage with politicians at the Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament and Westminster on topics such as promoting the relocalisation of food systems, supporting the shortening of supply chains through diversifying into agritourism and the need for greater youth participation in decision-making processes regarding food and farming. I also hosted my MP, Melaine Ward, on my farm in March.

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Rome: Multilateral Perspectives

In July, I arrived in Rome for a week of engaging with practitioners at the Rome-based agencies that deal with food and agriculture, representatives of civil society organisations and other actors engaged in food systems. We gained an understanding of how the theories that were discussed in Antwerp are reflected in policy negotiations and field programmes. Attending the negotiations of the Committee on World Food Security on ‘Strengthening Urban and Peri-Urban Food Systems’ furthered these insights and exposed me to multistakeholder governance. I found it interesting to witness the divergence of opinions on paths to financing and achieving food system transformation. It was clear to me that a disconnect remains between the global food governance arena and my realities of working on my family’s farm. I was also struck by the disparity of language used at international and grassroots levels that created a sense of disconnect and elitism. In turn, it felt policy outcomes struggled to translate into actionable outcomes for civil society, farmers and other actors engaged in food systems at ground level. 

Witnessing the negotiations also made me question the current state of ‘multistakeholderism’ and whether the principles of collective action are being effectively promoted in such spaces. There is also an urgent need for policy discussions to take a more confrontational approach, challenging global trade dependencies and corporate concentration in order to overcome the price-taker status of farmers. Creating greater space for lived experiences from those on the ground to inform global dialogue seems imperative for multistakeholderism to be effective.

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Human Dignity at the Heart of Food Systems

The disparity between high-level discussions and everyday realities made me appreciate the work of activists operating at the grassroots level. I was particularly grateful for the opportunity to learn from Marco Omizzolo, a sociologist, activist and professor at Sapienza Università di Roma. He spoke about his work exposing the enslavement of Sikh migrant agricultural workers by the agromafia in Latina, drawing on years of research and activism, including time spent covertly working as a farm labourer for the ‘caporali’ (agromafia gangmasters). It was moving to hear how his activism has made a tangible difference - since exposing these extreme injustices he has worked to support migrant workers claim their rights and organised mass demonstrations. His experiences emphasised that justice and human rights must be central to any conversation on food systems transformation, and highlighted the power of grassroots activism to drive meaningful change.

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Looking Ahead

The course left me with a renewed determination to contribute to fair, just and rights-based food systems for all and advocate for supportive legal and policy frameworks. I am grateful to the representatives from FAO, IFAD and the CFS who provided an opportunity to gain first-hand insights into global food governance and allowed me to share a Scottish farming perspective in these discussions.

I am hugely grateful to the course organisers - Tomaso Ferrando, Nora McKeon and Paola De Meo  - for their expertise and kindness throughout the course. Their guidance - and the exchanges with many inspiring speakers and participants - has motivated me to put these learnings to use in Scotland and beyond. As an ambassador for the Back the Future project, I am looking forward to speaking at the policy workshop during the Emergent Generation Summer Gathering in September. I am excited to meet and learn from like-minded young people who are all striving to play a positive and impactful role in the transition to more sustainable agrifood systems.

References:

1. ‘Palestine and the Right to Food’ <https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-08-27-visuals-palestinian-people-food-sovereignty-compressed.pdf>; ‘Starvation and the right to food, with an emphasis on the Palestinian people’s food sovereignty’ <https://docs.un.org/en/A/79/171>

2. Rome-based agencies: The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP)

3.The Committee on World Food Security adopts a multi-stakeholder governance approach. Participation in the CFS by civil society organisations and private sector organisations is facilitated by autonomously established coordination mechanisms - the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism (CSIPM) and the Private Sector Mechanism (PSM). It is worth noting that many critics have argued that multilateralism has enabled the corporate capture of global decision-making. In the context of CFS, FIAN International has maintained the food sovereignty movement has been jeopardised due to the corporate capture of global food governance. (see ‘Multistakeholderism and the corporate capture of global food governance’ (FIAN International, 12 May 2023) <https://www.fian.org/en/multistakeholderism-and-the-corporate-capture-of-global-food-governance/> accessed 1 August 2025)