Admission requirements
This course is part of Sustainability, Climate Change and Food and therefore only accessible to students enrolled in that Minor.
Description
The global production of food should, in theory, be sufficient to nourish the entire global population. However, more than 800 million individuals continue to suffer from hunger. Numerous contemporary instances of food insecurity highlight this issue. For example, extreme drought once again threatened Somalia with severe famine, while the war in Yemen has resulted in acute hunger at unprecedented levels. Moreover, the conflict in Ukraine is significantly disrupting global food supplies, with grave consequences for many developing nations. As emphasized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), targeted humanitarian action is urgently needed to save lives and livelihoods in several hunger hotspots, including Palestina, (South) Sudan, Mali, and Haiti (see WFP and FAO, Hunger Hotspots, 2024, at https://doi.org/10.4060/cd0979en).
The root causes of hunger are multifaceted, with poverty, conflict, and natural disasters playing major roles. Climate change exacerbates these issues further. Using Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2), which seeks to ‘end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture’, as a focal point, this course will examine the legal dimensions surrounding access to food and food security, both in times of peace and armed conflict.
The legal questions raised are complex and varied: What does the human right to food entail? How does international law mitigate the impact of conflict on food security? What regulations govern the provision of humanitarian assistance? What are the legal implications if starvation is employed as a method of warfare? Is there accountability for undermining food security, and if so, where and how can it be pursued?
The course explores various relevant areas of international law, including international human rights law, international environmental law, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law, to address the questions posed. Concrete examples will be used throughout to illustrate the theoretical discussions.
Course Objectives
This course helps students to acquire both skills and knowledge.
Knowledge:
Assess the Sustainable Development Goals and reflect on their legal value.
Identify and interpret the legal rules relevant to food security, both in peace and wartime.
Analyse how the different relevant (international) legal frameworks interact.
Analyse the relevant mechanisms in terms of accountability.
Skills:
Critically reflect on the limits of the relevant legal frameworks.
Capacity to discern legal implications from broader ones.
Learn where to find legal sources and how to interpret and apply them.
Timetable
TBA; information will be published before May 2025.
Mode of instruction
The course consists of (guest) lectures, as well as more interactive sessions that combine practical skills and learning.
Assessment Method
This course will be based on two assessments.
Newspaper article assignment
30 % of final grade
Re-sit not possible
Grade must be compensated
Final exam – combination of multiple choice and open questions (digital)
70% of final grade
Grade must be 5,5 or higher to pass the course
Resit of a fail is possible
Resit will take the same form
Reading list
Given that this course assesses different legal frameworks, there is no single textbook that is used. The course relies on a variety of different readings (book chapters, journal articles, and blog posts). Next to the compulsory readings, additional readings may also be suggested for further reference when relevant.
Registration
Registration starts early May. Additional information TBA.
Contact
Dr. Hanne Cuyckens, h.cuyckens@luc.leidenuniv.nl
Dr. Otto Spijkers, o.spijkers@luc.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
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