UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Monday asked to protect the rights of agricultural workers across the world.
Agricultural workers are among the most food insecure despite their critical contribution to food production, said Carla Mucavi, director of the FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations.
In addition, migration arising from precarious situations, including those compounded by prolonged or recurrent climate extremes, is an aggravating factor of their food insecurity, she told the UN General Assembly Third Committee.
In many rural contexts, the prevailing patterns of land rights, specifically the lack of recognition and protection of the rights of small holders, explain why some people are more vulnerable to hunger than others, especially women and indigenous peoples whose claims on land are often not respected or enshrined in norms or in law, she said. "Enhancing the land rights of small-scale farmers is therefore a priority."
Small producers, usually residing in rural areas, are responsible for the production of 70 percent of global food. However, it is in these areas where hunger strikes the hardest and people face increasing levels of vulnerabilities, she noted.
In this context, the FAO congratulates the efforts that resulted in a final proposal for a UN declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas, she said.
World hunger is on the rise for the third year in a row with the absolute number of undernourished people at nearly 821 million in 2017 from around 804 million in 2016, reaching the levels from almost a decade ago, she noted.
