Food Security Governance

'There are few people who have been involved in grassroots efforts to transform the global food system, been veterans of international organizations, and still been able to imagine compatibility between the two. Yet Nora McKeon’s subtle analysis, with its centerpiece examination of the history and possibilities of the Committee on World Food Security, is required reading for those who feel the trenches dug by governments and civil society can never move. It’s a wonderfully readable account of the world food crisis, distinguished by its grounded faith in the capacity of organizations – of people and governments – to prevent future hunger.'-- Raj Patel, Research Fellow at the University of Texas, Austin and author of Stuffed and Starved, and The Value of Nothing

'Global food governance is at crossroads. The rich world is over-consuming; the poor continue to lose out; meanwhile global systems of governance have not fully risen to the challenge. This book is an overdue account of the fight over reform. It is a fine reminder that food democracy is the key to feeding everyone equitably, healthily, affordably and sustainably.' – Tim Lang, City University, London, UK

'At such an uncertain time in global food provisioning, Nora McKeon’s book offers an exceptional perspective. Not only does she evaluate the organization and politics of the world’s food systems with erudition, but also she provides brilliant practitioner insights from within the UN Committee on World Food Security and the Food Sovereignty movement. The result is a lively account of food system crisis, competing paradigms and new questions of governance in an accessible and forward-looking analysis.' --Philip McMichael, Cornell University, USA

'Nora McKeon does a superb job at describing how governments have allowed markets and corporations to take control of food systems, and which tools could be used to provide healthier diets, ensure greater resilience, and empower communities. Building on her unmatched experience working both with farmers’ organisations and with international institutions, she brings us into how global governance of food security is shaped, and why food democracy matters: an illuminating and eye-opening journey.'-- Olivier De Schutter, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food

'Nora McKeon understands the Byzantine world of global food politics better than anyone I know – from inside the Rome-based agencies and from outside. She has put herself on the line time after time and has earned enormous respect for her intelligence and integrity. Everyone fighting for Food Sovereignty has to read this book.' -- Pat Mooney, ETC Group

'Brilliant! An eye-opening tour of the march to democratize global food governance. Discover the other side of corporate globalization as social movements gain a voice at the table. With the eyes of a veteran insider and the mind of an astute analyst, McKeon offers powerful insights. A must-read for all who want to go beyond competing "issues" to governance itself -- and real solutions.' -- Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet

'The far reaching implications of food governance –local and global—are trenchantly addressed in this impeccably researched book. Nora McKeon brings decades of engagement with farmers movements, multilateral agencies and academia to bear on the question of how the dysfunctional global food system can be transformed through citizens’ concerted action. A must read for food activists seeking to go beyond slogans, techno-administrative fixes or business as usual into the realm of active, popular democracy.' -- Eric Holt-Giménez, Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy

'Nora McKeon, with her long professional experience and transdisciplinary approach, takes us admirably through the various components, contradictions and controversies of food systems governance, both at global and local scale. This insightful book is an essential guide for anyone who wants to understand the social and political dynamics of the food systems in the contemporary capitalist world-economy.' -- Pasquale De Muro, Rome 3 University, Italy

‘Nora McKeon’s book is a must-read for both social activists and academics involved in the realms of agriculture, food, justice and social movements. But it is equally an accessible and highly informative source for interested members of the general public.’- Jan Douwe van der Ploeg, Wageningen University, Netherlands

'The author weaves together a complex landscape of policies, activities, and levels of food security governance. Opinions differ because of the ideologies of the constituencies, but in all those controversies, small producers of food are pivotal to ending hunger, malnutrition, and extreme poverty. Nora, thank you for this effort."—Yaya Adissa Olaitan Olaniran, Former Chair, Committee on World Food Security (CFS), Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN Agencies of Food and Agriculture

‘Food Security Governance; Empowering Communities, Regulating Corporations’ is a must read for anyone striving to understand the grammar of the global food system, and what can be done to support the building of the existing alternatives.
What makes this volume particular captivating is that McKeon moves between global and local perspectives in a unique combination of a food regime analysis combined with her personal portrayals of encounters with some of the key actors engaged in the struggle to solve global food problems, in particular small-scale food producers themselves.' - Ingeborg Gaarde, Centre d'analyse et d'intervention sociologiques

'...this book illustrates its importance to the present-day and future wellbeing of most people in the world. In the United States, interest in food justice has risen rapidly over the past decade. Food governance and democracy are perhaps the most critical elements of food justice, although just beginning to emerge as emphases in the US. Justice will not be possible without the full political participation of marginalized people affected by food policies. This book is an excellent addition to upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses on food security, food justice, and the sociopolitical context of food.'Molly Anderson, Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development

'Nora McKeon’s book is a tour de force and a perceptive addition to readings on this subject. It will reinforce the commitment of those who are in solidarity with the world’s food providers and it will inform newcomers. Simultaneously it is an eye-opener and guide for emerging students of food regimes and novice negotiators in what is described in an endorsement of the book as the ‘Byzantine world of global food politics’, and a vivid historical account of decades-long processes to realize the Right to Food for the majority that will be heartening to activists.'Food Chain Vol. 5 No. 1–2, Patrick Mulvany, Director of Kamayoq.

'This is a book of brilliant insights from a seasoned practitioner in both the UN system and the agrarian movements, and with a forward-looking analysis towards the re-democratization of the public sphere and the end of the scourge of hunger and food insecurity. A veritable tour de force!'Philip McMichael, Cornell University

'This book is an excellent addition to upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses on food security, food justice, and the sociopolitical context of food. In addition, it will be useful to policy-makers who want to understand the global context of efforts to address food security.'
Molly D. Anderson, Middlebury College

This book illuminates challenges and emergent possibilities within the global agro-food system and invites readers to become engaged in fostering food rights at home and around the world. Written in an engaging style, the book is suitable for a wide audience. Many readers will find the numerous textboxes useful in explaining central theoretical concepts, providing illustrative examples, and presenting key movement insights and approaches. This book is recommended for classroom use in advanced undergraduate and graduate level social science courses related to agro-food studies, globalization, and development.Laura T. Raynolds, Department of Sociology, Colorado State University

'There are few people who have been involved in grassroots efforts to transform the global food system, been veterans of international organizations, and still been able to imagine compatibility between the two. Yet Nora McKeon’s subtle analysis, with its centerpiece examination of the history and possibilities of the Committee on World Food Security, is required reading for those who feel the trenches dug by governments and civil society can never move. It’s a wonderfully readable account of the world food crisis, distinguished by its grounded faith in the capacity of organizations – of people and governments – to prevent future hunger.'-- Raj Patel, Research Fellow at the University of Texas, Austin and author of Stuffed and Starved, and The Value of Nothing

'Global food governance is at crossroads. The rich world is over-consuming; the poor continue to lose out; meanwhile global systems of governance have not fully risen to the challenge. This book is an overdue account of the fight over reform. It is a fine reminder that food democracy is the key to feeding everyone equitably, healthily, affordably and sustainably.' – Tim Lang, City University, London, UK

'At such an uncertain time in global food provisioning, Nora McKeon’s book offers an exceptional perspective. Not only does she evaluate the organization and politics of the world’s food systems with erudition, but also she provides brilliant practitioner insights from within the UN Committee on World Food Security and the Food Sovereignty movement. The result is a lively account of food system crisis, competing paradigms and new questions of governance in an accessible and forward-looking analysis.' --Philip McMichael, Cornell University, USA

'Nora McKeon does a superb job at describing how governments have allowed markets and corporations to take control of food systems, and which tools could be used to provide healthier diets, ensure greater resilience, and empower communities. Building on her unmatched experience working both with farmers’ organisations and with international institutions, she brings us into how global governance of food security is shaped, and why food democracy matters: an illuminating and eye-opening journey.'-- Olivier De Schutter, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food

'Nora McKeon understands the Byzantine world of global food politics better than anyone I know – from inside the Rome-based agencies and from outside. She has put herself on the line time after time and has earned enormous respect for her intelligence and integrity. Everyone fighting for Food Sovereignty has to read this book.' -- Pat Mooney, ETC Group

'Brilliant! An eye-opening tour of the march to democratize global food governance. Discover the other side of corporate globalization as social movements gain a voice at the table. With the eyes of a veteran insider and the mind of an astute analyst, McKeon offers powerful insights. A must-read for all who want to go beyond competing "issues" to governance itself -- and real solutions.' -- Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet

'The far reaching implications of food governance –local and global—are trenchantly addressed in this impeccably researched book. Nora McKeon brings decades of engagement with farmers movements, multilateral agencies and academia to bear on the question of how the dysfunctional global food system can be transformed through citizens’ concerted action. A must read for food activists seeking to go beyond slogans, techno-administrative fixes or business as usual into the realm of active, popular democracy.' -- Eric Holt-Giménez, Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy

'Nora McKeon, with her long professional experience and transdisciplinary approach, takes us admirably through the various components, contradictions and controversies of food systems governance, both at global and local scale. This insightful book is an essential guide for anyone who wants to understand the social and political dynamics of the food systems in the contemporary capitalist world-economy.' -- Pasquale De Muro, Rome 3 University, Italy

‘Nora McKeon’s book is a must-read for both social activists and academics involved in the realms of agriculture, food, justice and social movements. But it is equally an accessible and highly informative source for interested members of the general public.’- Jan Douwe van der Ploeg, Wageningen University, Netherlands

'The author weaves together a complex landscape of policies, activities, and levels of food security governance. Opinions differ because of the ideologies of the constituencies, but in all those controversies, small producers of food are pivotal to ending hunger, malnutrition, and extreme poverty. Nora, thank you for this effort."—Yaya Adissa Olaitan Olaniran, Former Chair, Committee on World Food Security (CFS), Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN Agencies of Food and Agriculture

‘Food Security Governance; Empowering Communities, Regulating Corporations’ is a must read for anyone striving to understand the grammar of the global food system, and what can be done to support the building of the existing alternatives.
What makes this volume particular captivating is that McKeon moves between global and local perspectives in a unique combination of a food regime analysis combined with her personal portrayals of encounters with some of the key actors engaged in the struggle to solve global food problems, in particular small-scale food producers themselves.' - Ingeborg Gaarde, Centre d'analyse et d'intervention sociologiques

'...this book illustrates its importance to the present-day and future wellbeing of most people in the world. In the United States, interest in food justice has risen rapidly over the pas