Narratives of Hunger in International Law

This book explores the role that the language of international law plays in constructing understandings - or narratives - of hunger in the context of climate change. The story is told through a specific case study of genetically engineered seeds purportedly made to be 'climate-ready'. Two narratives of hunger run through the storyline: the prevailing neoliberal narrative that focuses on increasing food production and relying on technological innovations and private sector engagement, and the oppositional and aspirational food sovereignty narrative that focuses on improving access to and distribution of food and rejects technological innovations and private sector engagement as the best solutions. This book argues that the way in which voices in the neoliberal narrative use international law reinforces fundamental assumptions about hunger and climate change, and the way in which voices in the food sovereignty narrative use international law fails to question and challenge these assumptions.

• Addresses the way in which international law shapes understandings of hunger and climate change and sheds new light on the function of international law as a language
• Explores the narrative force of international law and avoids technical language, understandable text for lawyers and non-lawyers alike
• Looks at the climate-ready seeds question in international environmental law and highlights the importance of questioning assumptions