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	Small-scale farmers and peasants feed around 70 per cent of the world by UN Working Group on peasants and rural workers   Oct. 2025   A handful of powerful corporations now control vast portions of global agricultural production, input markets and food supply chains, a concentration of power that undermines the autonomy of small-scale farmers, exacerbates inequality and endangers the ecological foundations of our food systems, UN experts warned today.   In their reports to the UN General Assembly, the Working Group on peasants and rural workers and the Special Rapporteur on the right to food warned that the growing dominance of transnational corporations and industrial agribusiness in global food systems poses an escalating threat to food security, rural livelihoods, and human rights.   “Peasants and small-scale farmers feed the majority of the world’s population with healthy and diverse food, yet they are increasingly marginalised and dispossessed by the expansion of corporate-driven food systems,” the experts said. “The current model of agribusiness, supported by powerful States, prioritises profit over people and the planet — this must change.”   Corporate practices, including large-scale land acquisitions, monopolisation of seeds and agrochemicals, food speculation, exploitative contract farming, and the escalating corporate capture of decision-making spaces traditionally held by peasants and rural workers in food system governance have cumulatively created deep dependencies that erode rural resilience and undermine the autonomy of those who sustain our food systems.   Digital technologies are further reshaping food systems, often extending corporate control through the capture of agricultural data. These trends, combined with the climate crisis, have further jeopardised the right to food for millions.   The experts reaffirmed that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) provides a crucial legal framework for addressing systemic injustices faced by small-scale farmers, fisherfolks, pastoralists and rural agricultural workers.   “States have an obligation to regulate corporate activity, prevent human rights violations and abuses, and ensure access to justice for victims,” they said.   “Voluntary commitments are not enough. The rights enshrined in UNDROP — including rights to land, seeds, biodiversity, and participation — must be implemented through binding laws and robust accountability mechanisms. To ensure digitalisation serves equitable and sustainable food systems, data governance must protect farmers’ rights, knowledge, and autonomy.”   Peasants and rural workers harmfully affected by corporate misconduct, from land grabs and toxic exposure to wage theft and forced evictions, still struggle to access effective remedies.   The Working Group and the Special Rapporteur called on all governments, the private sector and UN agencies to place small-scale farmers, fisherfolks, pastoralists and rural workers at the center of food policies and global governance.   “Food is not a commodity — it is a human right,” they said. “We must act now to ensure that those who feed the world can live and work with dignity, free from exploitation and fear.”   Ahead of the upcoming session of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Respect to Human Rights, the experts urged all Member States to prioritise the finalisation of a legally binding treaty to regulate corporations and financial institutions and hold them accountable for human rights violations and abuses.   “A binding treaty is essential to close the accountability gap and rebalance power in our food systems. Without enforceable obligations, corporate impunity will continue to erode human rights and the planet’s capacity to feed itself sustainably,” they said.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/10/un-experts-urge-binding-accountability-agribusiness-safeguard-peasants http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/a80213-corporate-power-and-human-rights-food-systems-report-special http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc6033-rights-peasants-and-other-people-working-rural-areas-report http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/a80180-right-participation-peasants-report-working-group-peasants-and http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/12/kenyas-seed-sharing-ruling-milestone-peasants-rights-and-food-security-un http://www.seeds-savers.org/   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/10/global-financial-architecture-needs-urgent-reform-uphold-equality-and-human http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5848-right-food-finance-and-national-action-plans-report-special http://ipes-food.org/cop30-ends-without-action-on-food-systems/ http://ipes-food.org/industrial-food-system-failing-as-un-finds-733-million-still-hungry/ http://ipes-food.org/land-squeeze-soaring-land-prices-grabs-carbon-schemes-threaten-food-production/ http://www.fao.org/cfs/cfs-hlpe/insights/news-insights/news-detail/building-resilient-food-systems--pathways-to-equitable-transformation/en http://www.fao.org/cfs/cfs-hlpe/insights/news-insights/news-detail/food-security-in-a-changing-planet--aligning-the-rio-conventions-with-the-right-to-food/en   Small-scale farmers and peasants feed around 70 per cent of the world. (OHCHR)   Despite recognition that peasants and rural workers are essential to providing everyone food and protecting the planet’s biodiversity, the world has treated them as expendable, UN experts said today.   Ahead of the 17 December anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas, the experts made the following statement:   “Four years ago, the UN General Assembly recognised the past, present and future contributions of peasants and rural workers to global food security, development and environmental conservation and adopted a ground-breaking Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas (UNDROP). Regrettably, they still lead a precarious existence.   While small-scale farmers and peasants feed around 70-80 per cent of the world, they shockingly represent 80 per cent of the world’s hungry and 70 per cent of those living in extreme poverty.   Besides their disproportionate exposure to environmental degradation, toxic substances, land grabbing and climate change, peasants and rural workers also suffer from the burdens caused by poverty, hunger and malnutrition.   More recently, their situation has become even more dire, due to the direct effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its subsequent harmful impact on food and cost-of-living crisis.   We commend peasants and rural workers across the world who have shown great resilience in the face of multiple challenges and intersectional oppression facing them and their communities. However, world governments must do more to protect, support and listen to peasants and rural workers.   The Declaration on the Rights of Peasants is a call for justice, based on the culmination of grievances and struggles of the world’s peasantry. It is also a plan of action for governments to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of peasants while also effectively regulating transnational corporations to prevent harm. It provides a framework to enable a just and sustainable transition to a food system where biodiversity and human rights flourish.   The current global crises make it more urgent than ever to enact the commitments of the Decalaration and fulfill everyone’s human rights.   We have witnessed some commendable efforts to incorporate UNDROP provisions in national laws and policies, in what is a unique and unprecedented opportunity to redress various forms of discrimination, systematic violations and historical disadvantage that have affected peasants and rural workers for many decades.   We therefore urge States to show leadership and implement the UNDROP by incorporating its norms and standards into national laws and policies. We also call on the United Nations agencies to support and empower peasants and rural workers throughout their work, both at policy and operational levels.   The Declaration provides not only a recognition of peasants’ and rural workers’ rights and contributions, but it also serves as a roadmap for States, the UN, business enterprises and other stakeholders to take concrete actions on the ground.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2022/12/un-declaration-rights-peasants-un-experts-call-action-ahead-anniversary http://peasantjournal.org/news/working-paper-series-international-conference-on-global-land-grabbing-bogota-colombia/ http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03066150.2024.2317961 http://viacampesina.org/en/peasant-agriculture-a-key-element-in-the-fight-against-the-climate-crisis/   * UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants: http://bit.ly/3Ijpzau Visit the related web page
	Inequalities are the result of unequal distributions of power by Ellen Ehmke, Martina Ciravegna Robert Bosch Stiftung   Inequality is not only a question of the unequal distribution of income and wealth. In their paper The Fabric of Inequality – Dimensions, Causes, and Consequences, Ellen Ehmke and Martina Ciravegna break down the concept and make clear: privileged groups and institutions must take an active role in addressing inequalities.   Inequalities appear in various forms and dimensions, including the unequal distribution of wealth and political power as well as inequalities linked to attributes such as gender, ethnicity, or (dis)ability. These different inequalities are not isolated phenomena; they coexist, overlap, and reinforce one another.   Such overlaps and interactions are referred to as “the fabric of inequalities” or intersectionality. For example, a woman who is part of an ethnic minority and also has impaired hearing, experiences discrimination at multiple intersections.   For people in this position, more and more “threads” of inequality intertwine, creating a fabric that makes it difficult for them to live a self-determined life free from discrimination.   Social inequality makes society poorer as a whole   Structural inequalities in income and wealth as well as discrimination, prevent people from being able to realize their full potential. But the negative consequences of inequality go far beyond the individual level.   The extent of inequality we face today makes us poorer as a society because many talents remain undiscovered. Research shows that, across all social classes, people who perceive high levels of inequality report lower subjective wellbeing. In societies with high levels of inequality, health problems are more prevalent, crime rates are higher, and social cohesion declines. Inequality, thus, affects all members of society.   A high degree of inequality also undermines trust in democratic institutions and fuels political polarization. When people feel that the system is unfair and that they have no opportunities despite their efforts, this can boost support for populist parties.   In the end, inequality severely weakens our ability to work together as a society and to find fair, effective solutions to collective challenges such as climate change and poverty.   The paper also explores the historical roots of inequalities – such as the legacy of colonialism, the unequal use of natural resources, and unpaid care work. It sheds light on how the mechanisms that emerged from these conditions continue to have an impact today.   Given the serious social consequences of inequality, it is not only those directly affected who must take action. Privileged groups and institutions – those who do not personally experience disadvantages due to inequality – also bear responsibility.   Inequalities are the result of unequal distributions of power: not everyone has the same access to resources and decision-making. The task is to open up these avenues and share power.   This requires action on three levels: recognition, representation, and redistribution.   Recognition means valuing the knowledge and perspectives of groups that are currently excluded.   Representation requires ensuring that marginalized groups have a stronger voice in decision-making processes.   Redistribution is needed to provide fairer access to material and immaterial resources. By combining these approaches, deep systemic change can be achieved to effectively combat inequality.   http://www.bosch-stiftung.de/en/publication/fabric-inequalities http://www.bosch-stiftung.de/en/storys/justice Visit the related web page
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