Desertification, Food Insecurity and Right to Food in Cameroon: A Legal Reflection

Abstract

Land is a vital resource that enables food production, and conservation of biodiversity facilitates natural management of water systems and, above all, acts as a carbon sink. The land, therefore, is fundamental to the ability humans possess to adequately feed, manage their water supply and adapt to extreme weather events. If not adequately managed, the land would degrade, erode and eventually result in the phenomenon of desertification – a monster capable of rendering millions malnourished, poor and unable to feed themselves and their families around the world. Desertification can result in forced migration, social instability and human inability to feed themselves. With these, desertification can lead to human rights abuse, especially the right to food, considered ideal for the enjoyment of the right to life. With the adoption of international, regional and national laws for the combat against desertification, there is a need to investigate the extent to which the right to food and human rights as a whole can be guaranteed. Thus, it is the dire need to feed humans that the ecosystems are degraded. Through the degradation of ecosystems by way of desertification, human rights,, especially the right to food,, are being compromised. To effectively harness this, stakeholders, including the State, farmers, local communities, and non-governmental organizations, must appropriate and effectively implement the decentralization package Cameroon has opted for, especially as it devolves effective participation in decision-making at all levels.