Implementing the right to food in Uganda: Advances, challenges and the way forward

Abstract

This chapter explores action taken at legal, policy and institutional levels to advance the right to food in Uganda. Particular emphasis is placed on the present draft Bill for a Food and Nutrition Act and the way in which this legal tool aims to assist in determining the dynamics of the food system in Uganda and in suggesting a possible replicable model for other African countries. In particular, the extent to which the Bill incorporates international human rights norms and the principles of respect, protect and fulfill is discussed. The role of law in promoting and protecting the right to food is explored within the broader framework of those structural, social and economic dynamics which influence and affect the creation of an enabling environment. Some suggestions are advanced in relation to possible ways to make legal mechanisms more effective in addressing current shortfalls in local food systems.